Ariana Grande has been sweeping the charts ever since the release of her newest album Sweetener. The record is produced by Pharell and is a "sweet" tribute to her then-relationship with "SNL" star and comedian Pete Davidson. One could also assume that some of the songs could have been about her previous boyfriend, Mac Miller (Rest in Peace) because she was dating him, at the time she was writing the album as well.

Not only does she go into love and relationships, but she gets very real and talks about her struggles with anxiety and also hints at what happened in Manchester. It is always nice to see an artist drop the facade of trying to put on a show for their fans by attempting to make their life seem more like a dream than reality.

Real, is the perfect word to describe how Ariana has always been with her fans. She constantly interacts with them on social media platforms, blurring the typical "fan/artist" relationship and turning it into something so much more meaningful. 2018 gave Ariana a run for her money. This was the most difficult year ever for her, and to experience, everything publically made the grief and hurt even harder to cope with. Yet, through it all, she stayed open and honest with her fans, through her tweets, and her music. September 7, 2018, Mac Miller, rapper, artist, and Ariana's ex-boyfriend passed away due to a drug overdose. He was an extremely talented and acclaimed artist, this news shook not only the world but Ariana as well. Even though they were no longer together when he passed, they always had a strong, earthshattering love for each other.

Having met in 2012 over Twitter, they became fast friends, which further developed into a romantic relationship in 2016. The two were inseparable and adorable. But of course in this world, nothing good lasts, and they ended their relationship in May of 2018. That same month, Ariana was spotted seeing Pete Davidson, and rumors quickly flew about the two dating. They later confirmed that they were not only dating but engaged in June of 2018. It was a rollercoaster for Ari fans, and everyone had their own opinion on the two being together. Some were obsessed, and some absolutely hated everything about it.

No matter what people around them said, they seemed to be madly in love, getting secret tattoos with each other, and even getting a pig named Piggy Smallz. But when Mac Miller passed, the tone shifted. We didn't see much of Ariana for a few weeks, and in that short amount of time people questioned the strength of Pete and Ariana's relationship. Yet, when she finally came out, they were together side by side. A few weeks later, a pic of a tattoo that Pete had gotten of Ari's dangerous woman logo was seen to be covered up. Everyone knew the relationship was over, but it wasn't confirmed until the release of Ariana's groundbreaking single "thank u, next."

'Thank you, next' is Ariana Grandes way of telling the public, "These relationships didn't work out, but I don't regret any of them and I have grown so much as a person, so thank you, next." This song has been a women empowerment anthem ever since it was released. It was Ariana's way of dealing with her emotions (which is great for us fans because we get incredible music out of it) and it basically said that yes, of course, she was affected by everything that had happened to her in the past few months, but instead of dwelling on all of the bad, she is going to hang out with her girlfriends, get drunk, and put her feelings into a song. With the release of that song and then the iconic movies of the 2000s music video, I don't think she has ever been more popular. People are praising her strength and willingness to be so vulnerable with her fans. Since then she has released two other singles, "Imagine" and "7 Rings" which are bops if I do say so myself, and has since announced that she is coming out with an album in February. The queen is blessing us with two albums in a 7 month time period. What did we do to deserve her?

Not only has her music inspired people all over the world, but she is becoming an incredible role model for everyone, showing that she has "been through some bad shit I should be a sad bitch. Who woulda thought it'd turn me to a savage." And savage is exactly what you are Ms. Grande. Ariana Grande's new album appropriately titled "thank u, next" comes out February 8th, 2019. If you listen to anything at all in your life, make sure it's this album.