In case you’ve been living under a rock for the couple years, Ariana Grande is on top of the world and it looks like she isn’t slowing down anytime soon. The superstar pop singer has just released her latest album Thank U, Next, which follows up her 4th studio album Sweetener by 6 months.

According to Ariana, the album was inspired by a variety of events that have occured in her personal life including the passing of ex-boyfriend Mac Miller and breaking up with her ex-fiance Pete Davidson.

Before the album was released, Grande dropped the titular single “Thank U, Next” as well as “7 Rings”. Both of these tracks debuted at the top of the Billboard Hot 100 with huge numbers on streaming services. Grande then released the full album on February 8th, 2019 to the delight of fans and critics alike.

What the critics are saying

As is tradition when any big artist releases a new album, the Internet and the many music websites out there go absolutely crazy for it. Ariana Grande’s new album is no exception to this point.

USA Today had very high praise for the album, saying “thank u, next is markedly darker and sexier – leaning fully into Grande’s penchant for R&B, as she sings 12 of her most confessional songs yet”. They also described the project as her best and most confessional album yet. They gave huge praise to tracks including “ghostin”, “NASA”, and “in my head”, so be sure to check those out.

Another news outlet, The Guardian, had similar praise for the album, calling it “a break-up album of wit and wonder”. They also said that Grande has finally found her voice as an artist and has started showing people more of who she really is. The Guardian summed the project up beautifully, saying “As with Rihanna’s Anti, this feels like the work of a pop star previously happy to act as conduit for other people, finally working out who they are and what they want to say. Here, Grande finds her voice”.

What the fans are saying

To be completely honest, Ariana Grande’s fans are some of the most hardcore and supportive in all of music. They ride for her like no other. It’s obvious that she’s going to receive a huge amount of love from them. One fan on Twitter even went far enough as to say that the project had no skippable songs. Each was amazing in its own right.

Another user had more positive feedback on the album. They said that the growth that Grande showed on the project is incredible. Possibly the most noteworthy tweet about the album said “thank u next is the album we’ve always wanted from her”.

Other fans didn’t have such positive praise for the album. One fan even ranked Thank U, Next as Ariana’s second worst album. There wasn’t an explanation why, but it’s an interesting take given all of the other praise out there.  

Want to see more fan feedback on the album? You can search “thank u next” on Twitter or Instagram and be absolutely flooded with results. That’s how polarizing Grande is as an artist.  

Should you listen?

If it isn’t completely obvious yet, you should give this album a listen. Even if you aren’t necessarily into pop music, this is a piece of work that you absolutely should give the time of day to. It is stunningly emotional, deep, and revealing. This is an artist that put her personal business and thoughts out there in a beautiful way. If you do listen to the album, hit me up with your thoughts in the comment section.