"Bittersweet" is a song performed by American singer

Fantasia Fantasia may refer to: Film and television * ''Fantasia'' (1940 film), an animated musical film produced by Walt Disney ** '' Fantasia 2000'', a sequel to the 1940 film * ''Fantasia'' (2004 film), a Hong Kong comedy film * ''Fantasia'' (201 ...

from her third studio album, '' Back to Me''. The song was released on May 11, 2010 as the lead single from the album. Fantasia's work on "Bittersweet" won her the

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for

Best Female R&B Vocal Performance The Grammy Award for Best Female R&B Vocal Performance (previously called Best Rhythm and Blues Solo Vocal Performance, Female) was an honor presented at the Grammy Awards, a ceremony established in 1958 and originally called the Gramophone Award ...

at the

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, the last song to win this category. "Bittersweet" was also nominated for

Best R&B Song The Grammy Award for Best R&B Song (sometimes known as the R&B Songwriter's Award) has been awarded since 1969. From 1969 to 2000, it was known as the Grammy Award for Best Rhythm and Blues Song. Beyoncé has won it a record five times, while Ba ...

. The song also won the 2011 NAACP Image Award for Best Song.

Composition and critical reception

"Bittersweet" is a down-tempo R&B song which also derives from

soul music Soul music is a popular music genre that originated in African-American culture, African-American African-American neighborhood, communities throughout the United States in the late 1950s and early 1960s. Catchy rhythms, stressed by handclaps ...

. According to Margaret Wappler of the ''

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'', its introduction is composed of "anguished" piano notes and "gut-socking" moans. The song lyrically sees its protagonist reminiscing on a past love. Margaret Wappler of the ''Los Angeles Times'' said Fantasia's best moment on ''Back to Me'' was "Bittersweet", stating that it was "smartly chosen as the album’s first single." Mikael Wood of ''

Entertainment Weekly ''Entertainment Weekly'' (sometimes abbreviated as ''EW'') is an American online magazine, digital-only entertainment magazine based in New York City, published by Dotdash Meredith, that covers film, television, music, Broadway theatre, books, ...

'' recommended the song as a download from the album, calling it an "old-school slow jam." On songs such as "Bittersweet", Mariel Concepcion of ''

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'' said "her distinct voice is most enjoyable when singing heartfelt ballads." Jonathan Keefe of

Slant Magazine ''Slant Magazine'' is an American online publication that features reviews of movies, music, TV, DVDs, theater, and video games, as well as interviews with actors, directors, and musicians. The site covers various film festivals like the New Yor ...

was less enthusiastic of the song, commenting that it "barely has a melodic line" and that it "just lets Fantasia do what she can with its bathetic series of clichés."

Promotion

To promote the track, Fantasia has appeared on shows such as ''

American Idol ''American Idol'' is an American Music competition, singing competition television series created by Simon Fuller, produced by Fremantle (company), Fremantle North America and 19 Entertainment, and distributed by Fremantle North America. It a ...

'', ''

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'' and ''

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''.

Chart performance

"Bittersweet" peaked at number 7 on the US ''Billboard''

Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs The Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart ranks the most popular R&B and hip hop songs in the United States and is published weekly by '' Billboard''. Rankings are based on a measure of radio airplay, sales data, and streaming activity. The chart had 100 ...

and number 74 on the US ''Billboard''

Hot 100 The ''Billboard'' Hot 100, also known as simply the Hot 100, is the music industry standard record chart in the United States for songs, published weekly by ''Billboard'' magazine. Chart rankings are based on sales (physical and digital), o ...

chart. It has sold 90,000 copies in the United States and 67,576 in South Korea.

Music video

A music video for "Bittersweet," directed by Lenny Bass. It premiered on June 25, 2023 on

Vevo Vevo LLC ( , an abbreviation for "Video Evolution", stylized in all caps until 2013) is an American Multinational corporation, multinational video hosting service, best known for providing music videos to YouTube. The service is also available ...

. The video features professional football player

Devin Thomas Devin Thomas (born November 15, 1986) is an American former professional football player who was a wide receiver in the National Football League (NFL). After playing college football for the Michigan State Spartans, he was selected by the Washi ...

as Fantasia's love interest.

Track listing

* Digital download # "Bittersweet" – 4:02

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Bittersweet (Fantasia Song) 2010s ballads 2010 singles Fantasia Barrino songs Songs written by Claude Kelly Songs written by Chuck Harmony Song recordings produced by Chuck Harmony 2010 songs J Records singles Contemporary R&B ballads Soul ballads Torch songs