Ariana Grande released her fourth album 'Sweetener' less than a month ago, on August 17th. In less than a week, Ariana has broken the Spotify global record for the biggest opening week by any female artist (over 110 million streams), but this is not the only record she has broken with her fourth album. She also currently has the most songs by a female artist to chart in the top 10 in the US on Spotify. As of today, August 24th, Sweetener is officially number one in America, which makes her one of the only female artists to have three number one albums this decade! Ariana recently won Best Pop Video at the Video Music Awards, at which she performed 'God is a Woman.'
It is safe to say that Ariana Grande is changing the game for pop artists, especially female pop artists. With 'Sweetener' we see a whole new side of Ariana. Her previous albums 'Yours Truly', 'My Everything', and 'Dangerous Woman' are all amazing but have a completely different sound. Her past albums are pure pop while exploring with occasional R&B. Her early singles like "The Way" sounds nothing like "No Tears Left to Cry." 'Sweetener' is completely stripped of Ariana's past vibes and gives her a completely different voice. Ariana has been on record saying that this album feels more like her and that she has been waiting to release an album like this for a while. Back in 2015, Ariana released 'Christmas and Chill' which has incredibly similar vibes to 'Sweetener.' Ever since that release, fans highly anticipated an album with that same sound, and now we have it.
And now that we have it, did it live up to the hype?
I have been an avid Ariana Grande fan for years, and personally, I believe this is her best album yet. All of her albums are great for different reasons, but 'Sweetener' comes out on top. 'Sweetener' has 15 tracks featuring Missy Elliot, Nicki Minaj, and Pharrell Williams. She released the first single April 20, 2018, after radio silence on social media since December. 'No Tears Left to Cry' was the first single Ariana recorded after the terrorist attack at her concert in Manchester in May 2017. That is not the only song on this record that can be traced back to the Manchester Attack, the song 'Get Well Soon' also contains a tribute. 'Get Well Soon' clocks in at 5 minutes and 22 seconds, 5/22 was the date of the Manchester attack. The moment of silence at the end of the track pays tribute to the victims and perhaps a sheer moment of peace for Ariana as she begins to let go. When experiencing something as severe as what Ariana went through this album and these tracks come from a place that is hard to enter for so many reasons. She wanted to be transparent for her fans that it is not about forgetting rather remembering and trying to find ways to cope. 'Sweetener' is unlike anything I have ever heard before, and I think this is going to help open doors for other female artists with similar sounds.
To see such a huge star like Ariana make music that is completely her own, will inspire other artists to do the same. This album is full of amazing lyrics and captivating music.
This is an album that will make you feeling something.
I truly believe this album has something for everyone. My personal favorites are "Goodnight n Go", "R.E.M.", "God is a woman", "Successful", and "Breathin". Even if you aren't an Ariana fan, give this album a listen. I think this is an album that will go down in history and is setting the path for Ariana to be one of the most talked about female artists of our generation.
