"Hard Candy" is the eleventh studio album by American singer and songwriter Madonna, released by Warner Bros. Records on April 18, 2008. It was her final album with the label after a 25-year association. Madonna began working on "Hard Candy" in early 2007 and collaborated with Justin Timberlake, Timbaland, the Neptunes, and Nate "Danja" Hills. The album incorporates dance-pop along with elements of hip hop, electropop, disco, electro, funk, and R&B. During the album's development, Madonna considered adopting an alter-ego called the "black Madonna," but the concept was ultimately abandoned. Critical reception for "Hard Candy" was generally positive. The album debuted at number one in 37 countries and became one of the top-selling albums of 2008, with sales exceeding four million copies worldwide. "Hard Candy" produced three singles. The lead single, "4 Minutes," achieved international success, topping the charts in 21 countries and becoming Madonna's 37th top-ten hit on the Billboard Hot 100. The second single was "Give It 2 Me," followed by "Miles Away" as the third. To promote the album, Madonna performed in small venues across three cities before launching the "Sticky & Sweet Tour," which at the time became the highest-grossing concert tour by a female artist. User-contributed text is available under the Creative Commons By-SA License; additional terms may apply.