★★★★★★☆☆☆☆ Rating: 6 out of 10

Since the release of her now Grammy-winning album Sweetener, Ariana Grande has been through a lot. From the loss of ex-boyfriend Mac Miller to the dissolution of her engagement to comedian Pete Davidson, added in with some cultural appropriation accusations and botched tattoos to boot. With all of these experiences, Grande sought her own therapy the way any musician would, by turning them into art. The first of these was the song Thank U, Next released not long after she broke up from Davidson, outlining how thankful she is for her past relationships but ready for something new. The next to follow was a highly anticipated song speculated to be about Mac Miller. The song is titled Imagine, it shares a name with a tattoo Miller had on his bicep and is said to be about denial. When Miller passed away Grande said she was in denial it had happened and when asked about it on twitter Grande stated:

It could most certainly be a reach but I like to listen to this song and think it is about her singing to Miller. The third song released before the album dropped was another pop banger titled 7 Rings. The song is a reference to the rings she bought for herself and her six best friends, boasting her independence financially and emotionally. It’s not my favourite song by any means, borrowing the melody from My Favourite Things, a format that has been done before (Big Brovaz cough cough). These three singles were all extremely successful in their own right, giving Grande the exposure she needed to release another album so quickly after her last release.

This is where I have a small problem with the album. I can understand she has been through a lot between albums but the speedy release of another full-length album is usually a sign of an artist being so overcome by emotion that songs are spilling out of their brain. So naturally, I was looking for songs that were going to show emotion and vulnerability giving desperate listeners, myself included, some insight into her experiences. What the album does instead, is capitalise on her experiences and media exposure with only fleeting moments of emotion managing to surface.

The placement of songs on the album gives this away the most. Imagine is the first song on the album, followed by another of Grandes more emotional tracks, Needy. As the title suggests it’s about wanting an abundance of comfort and love in a relationship. Then, before you know it, we are greeted with an abrupt change of pace. I would compare the feeling to being at a party where one playlist has been going all night, everyone’s having a good time, then a random drunk girl no-one really knows grabs the aux cord to play her fave song. NASA is the starter on this five-song journey through tween pop banger island. Now usually, I love a good old pop singalong but I thought given the circumstances of Grande’s past, I was under the impression I was going to be getting more. NASA is followed by Bloodline and Fake Smile. Fake Smile, borders on having a bit of depth to it, giving some Lilly Allen Fuck You vibes with the lyrics “fuck a fake smile” repeated for the chorus. Next song to come is Bad Idea, perhaps the most cringe song on the album because of its weird combination of uninspired sexualised lyrics and Japanese adlibs. What I can only explain as a Japanese anime style voice, yells “Ari Chan” over the chorus of this song. Not only is it extremely random, but another example of Grande’s controversial appropriation of the Japanese culture into her music. The following song, Make Up, is one of my favourites from this section of the album. There is a lot of makeup related wordplay (big shouts out to Fenty beauty) and the melody is almost touching on an upbeat reggae, island vibe which is super playful and fun to listen to.

Then finally, we manage to escape pop banger island and on the shores, we are greeted by the song Ghostin. It is without a doubt my second favourite song on this album, behind Imagine, and shares with that song a solemn, melancholic vibe. It is the only other time we get to see Ari be vulnerable on this album and it’s, of course, another song referencing Mac Miller. This song features a sample from Mac Millers track 2009, leading me to believe the lyrics are Grande comparing her relationship with Davidson to her relationship with Miller. Ariana explains the songs message best on Twitter:

As pathetic as it may be, this is one of the joys of this album, listening tentatively to each lyric trying to decipher whether it can be attached to one of her ex-boyfriends. Sad I know, but as a female, I have been conditioned to have an interest in celebrity gossip so leave me be. I feel like this inexplicable need for Grande to share her own personal account of these experiences is what stops me from celebrating this album. This idea is for me, an embarrassing one to have, as I fully understand she is an entertainer I have never and will never meet and she doesn’t owe me anything. Still, I crave more from her. Maybe it is because of how public her tragedies were made by the media, or maybe it is because she is so open with her fans on Twitter and Instagram but it is very easy to feel a connection to Grande. This connection is what makes her special and I’m sure is one of the reasons she is the fourth most followed person on Instagram at 145 million followers. Now back to the album.

After the short-lived delight of Ghostin, along comes the song In My Head. It is maybe an accompaniment to Ghostin, carrying over the idea of falling for someone, only to find out they are a version of themselves you created in your head. Just as you are starting to relax into Grande’s musical vulnerabilities that same drunk girl grabs the aux cord again, hitting you with the 7 Rings and Thank U, Next combo BACK TO BACK. I imagine this end section of the album is what gets the most play, serving as a reward for those fans loyal enough to listen to Grande’s album in full. Those who continue to listen past the instant “girls pre-drinks” classic, Thank U, Next are rewarded further with Grandes next single Break Up With your Boyfriend, I’m Bored. This song (and even more so the video) does absolutely nothing for me. The hyper-sexualised video clip starring Reggie from Riverdale gives off serious threesome vibes, only to end with Grande kissing another girl. This fetishisation of legitimate gay and lesbian relationships for commercial gain is frustrating and makes no sense in relation to the actual meaning of the song. I don’t know if the intention is to sell records, express Grande’s sexuality or to just cause a buzz on social media, either way, it is a disappointing way to end the album. To add insult to injury, after some internet digging I found that this song replaces an unreleased song named reMeMber. Judging by the capitalisation of the initials M.M, this song was about her late boyfriend and music industry favourite Mac Miller. This song would have been an incredible way to round out the album and I hope that it finds its way out in the open some day, when she is ready to share it.

All in all, Thank U, Next is a solid pop album. Grande’s vocal range continues to be unmatched and given her recent heartbreaks, there is a real joy in seeing her regain her power. This album is a reminder of Grande’s resilience and its commercial success has seen her cement her role as a queen of pop music. Personally, I would have liked more depth from Grande, but I’m sure she will share more with her fans when she is ready. If that day comes it will be an album I look forward to listening to and until then I will try to enjoy the pop music that Grande is best known for.

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