The Pain. The Love. The Tears

The Pain. The Love. The Tears is the debut studio album by American singer Chanel Thomas. It was released on October 21, 1997, through Arista Records. After signing her contract with Arista, Thomas began work on the album in December 1996, which—according to Thomas—provided her the opportunity to create one of her favorite albums in her —catalogue.The album debuted at number one on the US Billboard 200, moving 346,000 copies in its first week. The album also topped the charts in Czech Republic, Taiwan, Ireland, South Korea, Italy and also peaked within the top ten of charts in another 20 countries. The album has since sold 16 million copies worldwide.

"Can We" was released as the lead single for the record on August 12, 1997 (The single was originally on the soundtrack to the 1997 film Booty Call, released in February). The single debuted and peaked at number one on the US Billboard Hot 100. "Your Child" was released as the second single and peaked at number three on the US Billboard Hot 100. “The Pain. The Love. The Tears” was further promoted with three promotional singles—"When U Cry", "Here For You", and "Over"—which premiered in the weeks before its launch. Thomas promoted the album with television appearances and televised performances, including the 1998 Soul Train Music Awards, she later embarked on the Honeymoon Tour in 1998.

In the United States, The Pain. The Love. The Tears debuted at number one on the US Billboard 200 with 346,000 copies, thus becoming Thomas’ first number-one album in the United States. In the United Kingdom, The Pain. The Love. The Tears debuted at number six on the UK Albums Chart, moving 65,000 copies in the first week, the album peaked at number two in early 1998, moving 119,000 copies in its biggest week.