The Definition Of...

Background and development

After performing in the Broadway musical After Midnight, Fantasia began working on her fifth studio album with producer Harmony Samuels. She had previously collaborated with Samuels for her fourth album Side Effects of You (2013); she referred to him as her "Quincy Jones" since she would work "from scratch with him going to the keyboard and just playing things". For the album, Fantasia wanted to combine her soulful childhood singing in church with "a certain side of [her] that wants to tap into that whole rock world". Frustrated with the amount of record label interference in the past, she described executives' plans to determine her sound and style as "prostituting the artist’s gift", and wanted to avoid such influences for the album.

During interviews promoting the record, she said that the album was initially produced by another artist who she “really, really, really loved", but she switched to a different team for the final product. She explained: "“Sometimes, when you work with producers who are artists, it’s very hard, They are doing their thing … and things got a little chaotic.” Derrick G. Kennedy of the Los Angeles Times speculated that Fantasia was referring to R. Kelly. During the early stages of the album's production, Fantasia posted several videos on her social media accounts of her recording sessions with Kelly, including one on November 20, 2014.

Fantasia worked with producers Ron Fair, Brian Kennedy, Neff-U, Jerome "J-Roc" Harmon, and GRADES; the album includes features from Tye Tribbett and Stacy Barthe. In an interview with Essence magazine, Fantasia discussed her intentions to incorporate live music and real musical instruments into the album. She explained that her desire was to avoid following the trends of contemporary radio, adding "I wanted music that would touch people's hearts; that would bless people and move people because, you know, music makes the world go round". Fantasia also sought to have full control over the album's production and release, saying she regretted "not taking control of her destiny sooner." She was influenced by Aerosmith, Tina Turner, Prince, James Brown, and Michael Jackson.

Title and artwork

The title and cover of The Definition Of... were revealed on April 21, 2016. According to Fantasia, the title represents how she is every woman: "I'm the definition of strength, the definition of love, the definition of a fighter, the list goes on." The cover features one of mixed media artist Kip Omolade's Diovadiova Chrome's paintings, which took five months to complete. Omolade described feeling a connection with Fantasia, saying "we both share a commitment to skillful artistry and soulful expression".

Release and promotion

The album was originally scheduled to be released on June 10, but it was pushed back to July 29. It was made available for streaming a day early through Apple Music. The album spawned two singles, and two promotional singles. "No Time for It" was released as the lead single from the album on January 7, 2016. It peaked at number six on the United States' Adult R&B Songs Billboard chart. "Ugly" was released on April 7 as a promotional single; Fantasia performed it on the series finale of American Idol on the same day. The songs "So Blue" and "Sleeping with the One I Love" were released on April 21 and May 26 respectively. Photographer Derek Blanks shot the accompanying music video for "Sleeping with the One I Love", which features Fantasia "portray[ing] multiple characters in a compelling plot twist". "When I Met You" was released as the third single from the album on January 17, 2017.

To further promote the album, Fantasia embarked on the Fantasia & Anthony Hamilton: Live in Concert with Anthony Hamilton. The tour started on April 21, 2016, and ended on June 19. They had twenty-eight shows in North America. Fantasia embarked on her solo tour The Definition Of... Tour in the United States only between November 16 and December 4, 2016.

Critical reception

The Definition Of... received a positive review from pop music website PopCrush. Editor Matthew Scott Donnelly wrote that "across 11 tracks, Fantasia shifts gears as frequently as she did on American Idol, when following up a Barry Manilow single with "Signed, Sealed, Delivered" didn't seem strange. Somehow, though, it works — it's more intentional heterogeneity than frantic mess, and will likely have you questioning why more albums aren't taking as many left turns." Entertainment Weekly's Chuck Arnold gave album the grade of B−. While praising album's tracks "Sleeping with the One I Love", "I Made It" and "Lonely Legend", they criticized her tracks "Roller Coaster" and "Wait for You". He described "Sleeping with the One I Love" as "a jazzy torch song penned by R. Kelly" and "I Made It" as "a spiritual turn-up that shows Fantasia should make a gospel album."

Andy Kellman of AllMusic gave album mixed review, giving it 2.5 out of five stars, saying: "The album starts with a cluttered, uptempo rock-R&B hybrid and never really stabilizes after that, abruptly moving into one of a few ballads suited more for a pop-oriented R&B artist, later involving a contemporary country number seemingly written by an algorithm, and a triumphant Tye Tribbett-driven gospel belter, among other approaches [...] One mark of consistency here is that Barrino often sounds like she's fulfilling roles, however effectively, rather than baring her soul." Thisisrnb.com wrote that "never one to be what others want her to be, Fantasia defines herself with no apologies on The Definition Of... [...] Her ability to transition from one genre to the next is a unique dynamic of her artistry. Her confident vocals reflect the strength she has discovered despite her weaknesses."

Soul in Stereo gave The Definition Of... a mixed review, rating it 3.5 out of five stars, stating that it is the singer "at her most confident. From the uplifting optimism of "Stay Up" to the affirmation of beauty preached in "Ugly", Fantasia is unapologetically raw and refreshingly real. Inconsistent pacing and a lack of standout tracks make the collection far from flawless, but hey, neither is Fantasia." Melody Charles from SoulTracks called The Definition Of... "a compilation that's as uneven, yet intriguing, as the woman who created it."

Accolades

The album was ranked at number fourteen on Rolling Stone's 20 Best Albums of 2016 year-end list on December 14, 2016.

At the 59th Annual Grammy Awards in February 2017, the album's second single "Sleeping with the One I Love" was nominated for Grammy Award for Best Traditional R&B Performance.

Commercial performance

The Definition Of... debuted in the top ten of the US Billboard 200 chart, peaking at number six with the sales of 32,000 during its first week of release. It became her third consecutive and fourth non-consecutive US top ten album. The album debuted at number one on the US Billboard Top R&B Albums and number two on the US Billboard Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums.