On February 22, 1998 Ray Of Light was released.
The album received universal acclaim, with reviews commending the singer's new musical direction. Called her "most adventurous" record, Ray of Light has been noted for its introspective, spiritual nature, with Madonna's vocals also being praised. Ray of Light won four Grammy Awards from a total of six nominations. Commercially, the album peaked at number one in several countries including Australia, Canada, Germany, Poland, and the United Kingdom. The album debuted at number two on the US Billboard 200, with the biggest first-week sales by a female artist at the time, and has sold over 16 million copies worldwide.
Five singles were released from the album, including the international hits "Frozen" and "Ray of Light". The album's promotion was later supported by the Drowned World Tour in 2001. Music critics have noted the album's influence on popular music, and how it introduced electronica into mainstream pop culture in America. They also noted Madonna's musical re-invention which helped her remain contemporary among the teen-marketed artists of the period. Ray of Light is frequently cited by critics as one of the greatest pop albums of all time.
At the 41st Annual Grammy Awards, Ray of Light received four awards out of six nominations.[106] The album won Best Pop Album and Best Recording Package, and was nominated for Album of the Year, while the title track won Best Dance Recording and Best Short Form Music Video, and was nominated for Record of the Year.[107] The album gave Madonna her first musical Grammy of her career as previously she only won in the video category. Madonna also became the biggest winner of the 1998 MTV Video Music Awards, winning six awards from nine nominations.[108] "Frozen" won Best Special Effects; "Ray of Light" won Best Choreography, Best Direction, Best Editing, Best Female Video and Video of the Year, and was also nominated for Best Cinematography, Best Dance Video and Breakthrough Video. American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (ASCAP) honored Madonna two awards of Most Performed Song for "Frozen" and "Ray of Light" at the 1999 ASCAP Pop Music Awards,[109] as well as Top Dance Song for "Ray of Light" at the 1999 ASCAP Rhythm & Soul Music Awards.[110]
Ray of Light also gave Madonna several trophies from various international award shows—including two Danish Grammy Awards for Best International Album and Best International Female Vocalist from IFPI Denmark,[111] a Fryderyk award for Best Foreign Album from Związek Producentów Audio Video (ZPAV) in Poland,[112] a Golden Giraffe Award for International Pop Album of the Year from Mahasz in Hungary,[113] two Porin awards for Best International Album and Best International Video ("Frozen") in Croatia,[114] and two Rockbjörnen awards for Best International Album and Best International Artist in Sweden.[115]
In Canada, Madonna won Best International Video for "Ray of Light" at the 1999 MuchMusic Video Awards and was nominated for Best Selling Album (Foreign or Domestic) at the 1999 Juno Awards.[116][117] She also received Best Female and Best Album trophies at the 1998 MTV Europe Music Awards.[118] At the 14th annual International Dance Music Awards, Madonna won Best Dance Solo Artist and Best Dance Video for "Ray of Light".[119]