Ariana Grande: Thank u, Next!

After listening to Ariana Grande’s newest album, I’ve realized that I’ve been sleeping on her. No one can dispute that the woman got pipes. But I’m also not that into super Poppy mainstream music as much either. With that being said, this album comes off on a more personally note, especially with all that Ariana has been through it’s not surprise. She recently departed with Pete Davidson, they were to be engaged, and she also had to deal with the death of her ex boyfriend, the beloved Mac Miller.

Thank u, next has a little bit of everything, the poppy songs, the ballads, the heartbreak and the brag tracks. But the songs that really stood out to me were Needy: What I love about this track is are Ariana’s vocals, that are angelic. Her honesty about where she’s at mentally. “I’m sorry I’ve Im up and down a lot/ I’m sorry if I think I’m not enough /and sorry if I say sorry to much/ you can go ahead and call me selfish but after all this damage, I can’t help it.” These lyrics are so relatable and I think a lot of people going through tough shit can relate to these feelings.

Fake Smile: Another track expressing that she’s not going to pretend that everything’s alright, but still grateful for what she has. Ariana has really poured her heart and creativity into this album. She also made a good touch with the Wendy Rene sample in the beginning and instrumentals that gave me throw back feels of 90s JLo and Mary J. Blige.

Ghostin: By far the track with the deepest meaning and probably very personal for Ariana Grande. she softly sings about mourning for Mac Miller while being with Pete and the complications that can bring up. The feelings, the rethinking over and over. This track will definitely have you in your feels. “Though I wish he were here instead/ don’t want that living in your head/ he just comes to visit me/ when I’m dreaming every now and then.”

7 Rings: There was a lot of controversy with this song and it’s instrumentals sounding just like Princess Nokia’s track Mine. Which I’m not going to lie, the instrumentals sound the same and the way she’s wording her lyrics like Nokia does, but the biggest difference for me in these two tracks is the fact that Nokia’s Mine is a song about empowerment and telling these Beckys to stay in their lane and not to touch WOC’s hair. 7 Rings sounds more like a brag track wheb you listen to the lyrics. It sounds like she’s trying to fill a void with buying whatever she wants. “Whoever said money can't solve your problems/ Must not have had enough money to solve 'em/They say, "Which one?" I say, "Nah, I want all of 'em"
Happiness is the same price as red-bottoms”

Thank u, Next! : One of my favorite track because the video is everything. Ariana brings back Mean Girls with her video for Thank u, Next! And we all fell in love all over again. But what I do love about this track is the maturity about it. Relationships don’t always last and sometimes people are just in our lives as lessons. This song is a perfect representation to the lessons she’s had to learn.

Overall, I would definitely give this album a listen if you haven’t already. The album is honestly a great representation of life and how we have to balance all these feelings and lessons in life. We don’t always have to dwell on the negative and try our best to see the celebration in all of it. Ariana Grande definitely deserves this celebration too!

Album is available on all streaming platforms!