Ariana Grande - "Thank U, Next" (the album)

By (sort of) popular demand -- and b/c the "AG4" thread is getting really long -- here's a thread for the new album, out Feb. 8:

https://284fc2d5f6f33a52cd9f-ce476c3c56a27f320262daffab84f1af.ssl.cf3.rackcdn.com/artwork_5c4a16888361b_AGRANDE_ThankUNextdigitalcover_3000x3000_5c4a1688a8f7a.jpg

Lots of info here, including track list / credits: https://arianagrande.fandom.com/wiki/Thank_U,_Next_(album)

Interesting to see that the usual songwriting crew is all up in it, including Max/Ilya (it came together so quickly, I had assumed maybe the Swedes weren't involved this time). The songs are said to be highly personal (as with Sweetener).

It's obv. unusual for an artist to release a new album less than six months after the last one... She's really rolling, and also at sort of a career high point at the moment. Of course, three of the songs have already been released, two of which are excellent!

expecting "bloodline" will kick ass

.@ArianaGrande’s “thank u, next” and @MariahCarey’s “Daydream” are the only female albums to have multiple singles debut at No. 1 on the Hot 100 ⚡️ pic.twitter.com/ZA4LHzoGhE

— Ariana Grande Today (@ArianaToday) January 28, 2019

...apparently Britney achieved it, too. A little more chart trivia:

https://www.billboard.com/articles/columns/chart-beat/8495202/ariana-grande-7-rings-hot-100-number-one-debut

In the Hot 100's history, Grande is the first artist whose first two No. 1s have both debuted at the pinnacle.

(Before "Next" and "Rings," no female artist had entered atop the Hot 100 since Adele with "Hello" in November 2015; seven songs then started at No. 1 until "Next.")

brit's #1 debuts weren't from the same album

Ah

https://www.cnn.com/2019/01/30/entertainment/ariana-grande-tattoo/index.html

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vkxbLygu9nI

Feel like the accomplishment of debuting at #1 these days is in large part about whether you can instantly command social-media attention and YouTube eyeballs. "Thank U, Next" and "7 Rings" were both Trending Topics as soon as they were released.

^ should become the definitive version of that song

(i understand if i am banished from this thread after what i said elsewhere)

Nah, it's all good! Just show us yr palm tattoo -- that's the ticket back in ;)

(sorry if I was harsh on that other thread, actually)

I still don’t care for “7 Rings” all that much — mainly b/c it recycles an overly familiar melody, and has some weak lyrics — but my hope/expectation is that it will turn out to be an anomaly in the context of the album (e.g., none of the other song credits include Rodgers & Hammerstein).

AG’s only truly weak album track until
now, for my frequent-listening dollars, is “Daydreamin’” (what do you even call that particular style? “‘Happy Birthday, Mr. President’ burlesque”?); so she was probably due for another. Naturally, I am happy for the single’s success, its chart achievements, etc.

I usually hate the recycled melody trick - All Saints's "Never Ever" always rubs me wrong - but I don't hate "7 Rings". It'll be fine as an album track.

xp yeah, sorry to be preachy

I do prefer the 2 Chainz remix, fwiw

Ugh of course “7 rings” made it to #1 on the charts. Closing this decade with disgusting singles seems apt I guess.

i’ll give y’all a million to get off my nuts https://t.co/7yMyP0eHtt

— Ariana Grande (@ArianaGrande) February 2, 2019

otm

Why have I not been following her??

that tattoo situation is v unfortunate tho

hopefully by now everyone should know that you should never get a tattoo of a script that you don't know how to read

she is now tweeting about the 'appropriation'/'appreciation' dichotomy but specifically in relation to this tattoo and not, like, her entire image for this album cycle so far wrt black culture

Not sure about “album cycle”; I think the issues have mainly come up with “7 Rings” and its video. She briefly tried to address one of the criticisms (re: hair), I can point you to Instagram post if you’re really interested.

My hope/expectation is she will course correct if necessary... she seems generally open to learning from comments/criticism.

that is a great tweet

Totally
Also this girl is really converting haters left and right liiikkke I haven't seen the likes of this ever
She's right to ride that roll

In the runup to album release -- a quick post highlighting Tayla Parx, one of its main contributors (she worked on five songs, including the title track), and who also has a ton of other high-profile songwriting credits: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tayla_Parx

...plus some really good singles under her own name: http://www.youtube.com/channel/UCXR82zHJ6FuWccQQqxtNHyw

yes for sure, i was a fan of "slow dancing" last year. didn't realize she had released more since then!

oh dang, just got to "me vs. us". hope tayla blows up

i forgot she was among the "pynk" writers

album has leaked and... it's only ok?

it's good, more consistent than Sweetener. I'm in love with "Break Up With Your Girlfriend, I'm Bored."

I've been waiting for someone to write what I've long thought.

Can't wait to hear it... (unfortunately, I may not get a chance to really dive in until early next week).

As opppsed to my teen daughter, I've been enjoying her latest singles.

I'm seeing a few ways to read that sentence

AG just fired off a nice series of tweets regarding the Grammys brouhaha.

i liked those tweets too. it's the sort of thing that reminds me that hey, these silly awards ceremonies won't be around forever and may in fact collapse under their own self-importance far earlier than we think

Another in a long series of hella cheezy videos... (the song's a banger, tho)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LH4Y1ZUUx2g

(sounds a little like something from Reputation, in a few spots)

Previewing the album now... "Needy" is pure AG/Brown/Monét/Parx greatness!

"NASA" is perfect, damn

"Bloodline" swings

(Her songs never sound anything like I expect them to, based on the titles alone... guess that's a somewhat trivial observation.)

"Fake Smile" is excellent... I don't recognize any of the other credited songwriters on this track? (two of them are via the sample that kicks it off; Wendy Rene's "After Laughter (Comes Tears)")

"Bad Idea" = very Max/Savan/Ilya. Their traxx tend not to feel as "personal" to AG and her style as the ones she records w/Tommy et al., but they do tend to be effective bangers.

(...cool outro, too)

Luv "Make Up"... another light, swinging, tropical-feeling groove (damn, it's over already?)

This album feels, in the best possible way, like it was written & recorded quickly -- from inspiration to studio to wax, with little time for second-guessing or "overworking."

"Ghostin" is dreamy

Apparently this is dude whose vocal snippet kicks off "In My Head": https://www.bustle.com/p/who-is-doug-middlebrook-ariana-grandes-best-friend-has-been-by-her-side-for-years-photos-15519590

(I, too, have been described in the press as "An Instagram influencer and Grande's best friend.")

(skipping the next few traxx which I've already heard 100 times...) that brings us back to "BUWYG,IB"

great stuff, man

yuh yuh

apart from the dreadful "7 rings" this album is very very solid and might be her best front-to-back even if it doesn't reach the same highs as dangerous woman. the sequencing is a bit odd though, the last few tracks are a very strange closing sequence

I have only listened to half of it so far.
"NASA" and "Fake Smile" stand out (although the use of the same sample as the Wu Tang's "Tears" on fake smile is disturbing).

"ghostin" is a classic. took my breath away

i love the weird rhythms in "make up"

"Fake Smile" kicks off with the same sample as Tearz by Wu-Tang from their first album, which gives it this double-take moment at the beginning, where you think maybe your shuffle kicked in.
Great track otherwise -- the sample works well behind the chorus.

Oops, looks like someone already made that same observation a few hours ago :)

the sequencing is a bit odd though, the last few tracks are a very strange closing sequence

Agreed... wonder if it would feel the same way if two of those songs hadn’t already been released(?)

Either way, they clearly made a deliberate move (whether “successfully” or not) to not do the expected thing there.

(Has there ever been an album that sequences the first three singles as the final three tracks??)

wasn’t feeling this on first pass :/

same

i think it’s funny. i liked the idea of ending a more honest n vulnerable project and with like a punchline. https://t.co/eH2XYA35qR

— Ariana Grande (@ArianaGrande) February 8, 2019

not a good punchline. Gonna spin the whole thing now tho.

Wonder who this shade is directed at?

The entire process of creating this album was incredible & when it came down to business things were handled more than fair. So much in fact that we gave credit to people who didn’t even write the songs ..instead of being a sour grape you should’ve said thank u.... next.

— TAYLA PARX (@TAYLAPARX) February 8, 2019

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/Dy6Q4jZWwAM0-mb.jpg

Ah, thx

Very good listen, this album.

not sure how i feel about the whole thing but "bad idea" is the shit

"Bad Idea" = very Max/Savan/Ilya

lol i continue to love the exact same ariana grande banger over and over again

in addition to reminding me of all the good songs on dangerous woman it reminds me of early rihanna

"ghostin" is gorgeous

f*ck a fake smile

heard "break up with your boyfriend, i'm bored" via its video. i'd say it's an ample demonstration of the pitfalls of writing an entire song around an eye-catching title. haven't listened to the rest yet.

dyl, I think you will be pleased

Weirdly the hyped already-leaked/released songs are the least interesting; Needy, NASA, Fake Smile And Ghostin are all fantastic.

When was the last time 2 amazing pop albums were released so close together by the same artist?

"When was the last time 2 amazing pop albums were released so close together by the same artist?"

Answer to that is 2017. Charli XCX POP 1 and POP 2

"break up with your girlfriend" is easily one of the weakest tracks on here. idk why "ghostin" wasn't the closer

It would have been a somewhat downbeat / unresolved closer, IMO... anyway, her reasoning is in the tweet above (whether you agree with it or not).

It's a good song and a neat closer imho

FYI, the title track was originally the closer, but she pulled a track called “Remember” (which was said to be about Mac), and added “Break Up...” at the end. This thread has the deets:

i added a fun one (lol) to replace one that i decided i don’t think wanna share w the world. so we back to twelve tracks. i appreciate u understanding in advance. 🖤🖤🖤🖤🖤

— Ariana Grande (@ArianaGrande) January 13, 2019

If you have the interest & patience, there are some interesting/funny tidbits in this interview:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fpl8v3jiuNU

(provided you can put up with the interviewer dude... I started seeing red by the 10th time he referred to an album track as a "record.")

A few highlights (so far):

* They recorded several different versions of the title track — including one that didn’t “name any names” at all — but it sounds like there was little doubt about going with the version with names.
* She begged Scooter to leave “Ghostin” off the album, but he insisted they keep it.

i'm never gonna say this again in my life but scooter braun otm

I know it's early days, but honestly I think Ghostin could be my favourite Ariana song. It's absolutely stunning.

Overall, this seems like a much stronger album than Sweetener, but still not quite in the same league as Dangerous Woman. Obviously I'm starting to think about how I could turn these latest two albums into the classic it could have been.

i've been trying to figure out a good sequence (probably consisting of thank u, next minus "7 rings" and "break up with your girlfriend" and adding "breathin", "everytime" and "no tears left to cry") but haven't come up with anything yet. can't believe ariana wanted to leave off "ghostin" it's so gorgeous

Getting rid of 7 Rings and adding those three Sweetener highlights was exactly where I was thinking of starting. I might keep Goodnight n Go and Better Off as well. I think they'd work quite well on there.

Might as well get the prediction in for Ghostin winning the tracks poll this time next year. I'll be shocked if I hear a better song all year.

yeah those are the other two i'm considering from Sweetener as well

Sry (/not sorry) for hyperbole, but the core songs here are just ridiculously great, on a “I can’t believe they did this” level... the opening three-track sequence is all-time!

I don't hate "7 Rings". It'll be fine as an album track.

^This was a prescient comment, btw

Gucci tennis shoes, running from your issues

The way “NASA” ends — gracefully, casually, poignantly, in the middle of a verse — is just exquisite. (“Get Well Soon” did something similar.)

Nice little Tayla feature: https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-features/tayla-parx-artist-you-need-to-know-interview-ariana-grande-784137/

Big chart newz, we stan: https://www.billboard.com/articles/columns/chart-beat/8498762/ariana-grande-thank-u-next-debuts-at-no-1-on-billboard-200-chart-album

After spending some time with this album, I really like it.
I don't care much for "bad idea", "make up" and "in my head" but the rest goes from good to great, the best being the gorgeous "ghostin" and of course, the impossibly charming "thank u, next" which I still can't have enough of.
Also, I didn't follow the issue regarding "7 rings" but I find it pretty cool/fun !

Also there was an intw where she said she wanted to release songs and albums as they come, enjoying the creative momentum and I like that a lot.
That's one of my issues with many artists now who spend years between albums/songs.
I mean it's ok if you're McCartney or something, had a long career and need a few years to come up with new stuff but for young artists who, supposedly, are in their full creative force, I can't understand waiting years before releasing new stuff.
Especially in a time when the technology makes it so easy.
I think it's kinda sad, and frustrating, for an artist to miss the pleasure of sharing your latest creation, when you're the most excited by it (as a musician, I know how amazing the sensation of having finished a new song is !).
I like her spirit about that anyway !

"break up with your girlfriend" is easily one of the weakest tracks on here. idk why "ghostin" wasn't the closer

― ufo, Saturday, 9 February 2019 23:13 (one week ago) Permalink

I think "break up with your girlfriend, I'm bored" is fine as a song, but more than a song it's a social media meme.

One of the great things about pop music these days is how utterly easy it is to not hear it and be blissfully ignorant of it. It's taken me up until now to hear '7 Rings' out in the wild and holy fuck do I wish I could unhear it.

Interesting Savan piece, talking a lot about songwriting/recording process: https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-features/ariana-grande-thank-u-next-savan-kotecha-interview-791280/

Listening to this with no particular investment, and my opinion is that it is really good, and it also sounds really good, kthxbye.

Really the only song that's made an impression before this is Into You, which I love deeply.

One of the great things about pop music these days is how utterly easy it is to not hear it and be blissfully ignorant of it. It's taken me up until now to hear '7 Rings' out in the wild and holy fuck do I wish I could unhear it.

― Le Baton Rose (Turrican), lundi 18 février 2019 18:20 (yesterday) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

ahah. the more I listen to that song, the more I like it !
The lyrics are fun (especially considering the idea that started the song) and the rap triplet segment is pretty cool.
I like it much more than the original song.

.@ArianaGrande is the first artist to hold the entire top 3 on the Hot 100 since @thebeatles in 1964!

She is the only solo artist to achieve this in Hot 100 history! ⚡️ pic.twitter.com/foUcVXvzB5

— Ariana Grande Today (@ArianaToday) February 19, 2019

i think this album is flat out great

prob the best big pop album since reputation

fake smile, needy, NASA, imagine are some of the best songs she’s recorded

chart records are so annoying + say more about how the charts themselves work than they do about the works/artists setting the records. (not to downplay ariana's achievement, which is estimable.) i honestly think billboard needs to stop reporting that stuff as aggressively as they do but then i guess their charts would not get as much exposure in the social media world via rt's of Music News Shady Facts Crave and so forth.

I'm still not sold on "NASA" but I love "Bloodline" more than the rest of you; it has my favorite use of "shit" in a pop song in years.

I personally think that those involved in pop music should be aiming higher and aspiring to better.

fake smile, needy, NASA, imagine are some of the best songs she’s recorded

Yes!! (I now forgive your Sweetener shade in the poll results thread 😄)

(...tho “R.E.M.” and “Get Well Soon” are as great as those four!)

"bloodline" at the very least might be my favorite of her fake dancehall songs

My thing w/“Bloodline” is it’s a bit formulaic, you can see the joints in the songwriting; in the bridge especially. It’s the kind of Max/Ilya song that could be recorded by any pop star (though probably not as well!)

I don’t really mind it, though... having a handful of fantastic songs, and then a grab bag of others (a few of which feel a little “off-the-rack,” a few a little “WTF”), contributes to the album’s appealingly “rough & ready” vibe. Especially coming on the heels of Sweetener... it’s like a quick change-up, a “what if we did this?” experiment... or, idk, a theoretically perfect EP fleshed out w/bonus tracks (because why not)?

Like I love the ‘tude behind recording an amazing sequence of deeply personal, unique tracks... and then tossing on a mindless, fun banger that shamelessly bites *NSYNC.

she really has the juice rn and i'm glad she made an album commensurate w/ the zeitgeist that is her celebrity

"needy" jesus

despite the narrative sweetener didn't feel as influenced by her personal life as it could have to me... it reminds me a bit of 'rated r' maybe in that they sorta split the difference between a weighty post-trauma album and a regular ol album. this one feels really of its moment w/o being obnoxious or ham handed about it.

all that aside the concepts/songwriting are just much better to me... "give you the whole world / i'ma need space" is a dope line. "fake smile" is a really deft & sympathetic take on the pop star complaining about fame song. "ghostin" is brutal and so specific w/o really saying anything specific at all.

texturally "ghostin" is not something i thought the max martin camp was capable of producing

Yeah "NASA" was one of the tracks I liked instantly and is still one of my favourites. The chorus is great.
And I don't why but "Fake Smile" reminds me of Lauryn Hill.

texturally "ghostin" is not something i thought the max martin camp was capable of producing

Totally; it’s pretty remarkable.

“In My Head” is the album’s sleeper, IMO... how do you even describe that feel? Woozy, psychedelic(?) I love the pair of lazy little drum fills coming out of the bridge; it’s such a great, unexpected musical choice.

There’s not a lot to recommend in this long roundtable discussion of music journos — the final section, where they’re rating/ranking pop starts like they’re baseball players or Pokemon, is downright bizarre (even depressing) — but this quote from one Jason Lipshutz does sum up nicely how I feel about the last 2 albums:

https://www.billboard.com/articles/columns/pop/8499235/ariana-grande-thank-u-next-five-questions

To me it's a matter of personal preference, and maybe even mood: the devastation at the center of Thank U, Next lands with a dazzling force, while Sweetener's 15 tracks arrive like a flurry of presents to unwrap, some imperfect but almost all sumptuous. Thank U, Next may very well be viewed as Ariana's crowning achievement when all is said and done, but the lighter moments of the six-months-older Sweetener are still difficult for me to overlook.

hey, I'm glad somebody's endorsing "Bloodline" as a single!

Talk about "converting haters left and right"(!):

thank u for some laughs and some v productive conversation ! it was nice bumping into u ! #FutureFeministPiers #FingersCrossed

— Ariana Grande (@ArianaGrande) February 20, 2019

I have just noticed that all the singles and almost all the tracks are around 3min long (the longest tracks on the album being "Ghostin" at 4.30).
That's very short in today's standards. It's (almost) early Beatles'era singles length ("7 rings" is 2.58) !

Oh and another (silly) thought : I have no idea why but I was thinking there might be as much or more use of the word "fuck" than on... Use your Illusions I AND II combined !
Is there a "parental advisory lyrics" on her cds (does these things still exist actually !?)

in an interview in the Guardian today Mark Ronson says there's pressure to keep songs under 3:15 otherwise you're at risk of boosting your "heard - incomplete" stats in Spotify which is apparently the kiss of death

Aw thanks I hadn't noticed that evolution !

So back to the spirit of the early 60s singles in terms of length...
I like that !

The parental advisory label is indeed made a prominent part of the new album’s cover art design (the “explicit” version, anyway) — to the point that when fans were doing their own mock-ups of the cover, that label and its placement were a big part of the concept.

(parody mock-ups, using other photos)

I love these stats; the only artist in history to replace herself at number 1, twice in a row

https://www.officialcharts.com/chart-news/ariana-grande-replaces-herself-at-number-1-for-a-second-time-on-the-official-singles-chart__25630/

Also, after obliterating the first-week streaming record, the album still generated more U.S. audio streams in its second week of release than any other album has in its first week. (And yes, I know streaming stats can be gamed by some fans leaving Spotify running 24/7 or whatever.)

this destroys sweetener on every level

This one lives up to what I expected from Sweetener after reading the breathless hype for that last fall.

A new collab w/ 2 Chainz (“Rule the World”) drops tonight.

flopson otm

yep

*queues up "bad idea"*

I like this album a lot and have listened to it regularly lately but I think it lacks something to be a really GREAT album.
Maybe one more big song instead of one of the 2-3 that I find meh (so that's roughly one quarter of fillers on the album...)

if you swap out some of the worse tracks for best ones on sweet that’s pretty close to a classic. just skipped thru sweetener again and it’s crazy how bad the pharrel tracks are lol

I'd keep REM, No Tears Left, Breathin and Succesful from Sweetener, i'd definitely ditch Make Up and 7 Rings from Thank You, Next but not much else. There's surely a good poll of all the tracks to be made, maybe in another coupla months or so tho.

With « breathin » and « better off » instead of « bad idea », « make up » or « in my head », it would be a classic album for me !

idk what people dislike about "make up", it's short but sweet and i love the syncopation

"make up" is not bad but I just never feel like listening to it so it's one of the tracks I always skip.

UK garage remix of 'Bad Idea' as soon as possible please.

Rod Liddle in not a fan shock

Ariana Grande's album is vapid, talentless, derivative, oversexed crap, says Rod Liddle. Pre-teen pop was never much cop. But compare this to the Monkees — or even Vanilla Ice. It's far worse.https://t.co/3eDsPzoAro

— The Spectator (@spectator) March 3, 2019

who?

Former editor of R4's Today programme and loveable racist, misogynist & assaulter of pregnant girlfriend half his age.

Best pop album since

Rachel Stevens - Come And Get It

Ahah Vanilla Ice

"her fanbase is sub-teen" -- maybe when she was still on victorious

Cool/interesting Tommy Brown interview: https://www.complex.com/music/2019/03/ariana-grande-producer-tommy-brown-thank-u-next-making-of

ooh

nice intw, thanks !
I like that, by all acounts, champagne was pretty central in the process !

that is matrix bullet time levels of dodging the "7 Rings" question

haha, I noticed that too 😉

this album is dope

anyone else (but me) have tix for the tour?

Nothing to do with this album but I watched Zoolander 2 yesterday (yeah, don't ask... I have no proper excuse or explanation for that... and it's even worse than I imagined it would be!) and she has a cameo in it : she plays a S&M chick in full leather/latex rabbit suit + mouth ball gag (and 1 line I think) !
That was... unexpected !

i think i had given up on her making another album this good again

"ghostin" is one of the best songs about relationship dynamics i've heard in a while & i can't believe they came up w it on the same protracted timeline as the rest of this album

« Ghostin » is wonderful. I don’t know enough about her stuff before Dangerous Woman but it might be her richest song, both lyrically and musically. What a great album. The more I listen to it, the more I love it, except the 3 songs I pass and have actually removed from my edited version of the album (replaced with « Breathin » and « Better off » which share the same emotional/confessional core as the rest of the album).

Best songs:

Fake Smile
Break Up...
Bloodlines
Ghostin'
Thank U, Next

No "NASA" ? It may be the one with the brightest melodies. Sometimes it's my favourite song of the album.

The tour starts today, in Albany

this is dope

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fGeH483gNOg

she’s on one

love the horns

They had a voting booth last night at the opening show, decked out in the Sweetener colours with "the future is voting" written on it.
Couldn't love this woman more i'm sorry.

..or voting 'stand' i guess. Whatever you call it.

pic.twitter.com/jDWYsFQMaq

— Ariana Grande (@ArianaGrande) March 19, 2019

(Has there ever been an album that sequences the first three singles as the final three tracks??)

Listened to this for the first time today on Spotify without looking at the tracklist and I really liked it but kept thinking "when are the songs I know coming up?"

Looks like new track “Monopoly” coming soon:

You ain’t neva lied and this moment waaay too special!! Let’s dooo it!
🥂✨🍾 😌 🎉 https://t.co/thf78JVA5e

— Victoria Monét (@VictoriaMonet) March 28, 2019

lol this new track is trash

more power to her if she wants to release her music on her own schedule etc but still

No it's fresh and it rules!

A marvelous read:

https://www.vulture.com/2019/04/did-ariana-grande-copy-7-rings.html

xp (it's also "a thank you to them fans" -- so if you're not feeling it, wait for the next one!)

cover art -

https://vignette.wikia.nocookie.net/arianagrande/images/a/a6/Monopoly.png/revision/latest/scale-to-width-down/350

This is her greatest video... The song rules, the video rules, it’s all perfecto 👌

ahah, it's a cute video (that reminds me of the videos I was making back in like 93 with my father's camcorder... except for the FX of course)and the song is fun but it's all pretty lightweight and anecdotal imo(and that's fine !).

i might be a few week late but 'imagine' is incredible.

^yeah, it’s remarkable. I’m a little surprised it never got more attention (even after being released as a “promotional single” last fall, performed on TV, etc.)

My copy of that 7” finally arrived (“Thank U, Next” b/w “Imagine”). I don’t normally buy redundant vinyl just on “collector/fan” impulse, but it feels like holding a perfect slice of history.

Cracking set list last night at Coachella. No Bloodline though which is a surprise.
https://www.setlist.fm/setlist/ariana-grande/2019/empire-polo-grounds-indio-ca-139329cd.html

rinsed this lp the past week. 'ghostin' is the most emotional cut of pop ive heard in the past ten years, fuck. the whole record's texturally gorgeous.

Weirdly, Ariana Grande was one of the first people to know the details of this piece. I was catching up with a friend, in March, and she walked into his flat. Turns out they've known each other for fifteen years. We talked about Abu Hafs al-Mauritani's post-9/11 escape to Iran. https://t.co/s1T6G7H1WI

— Ben Taub (@bentaub91) April 20, 2019

I’m waiting in line to get into the venue for this show... there are ppl wearing literal Ariana Grande costumes in this crowd.

These are my peeps; preteen girls and their moms

I wasn't planning to give my impressions of the show, but since y'all keep asking...

It was pretty fantastic overall; her performance was outstanding. The peak of the set is a sustained string of old & new hits that had the crowd raging; the energy was insane (at least in my section). It takes a little while to build up to that... things start kind of slow (darkened stage, slower songs). In contrast to the Dangerous Woman Tour, the stage is almost totally bare, with no props etc.; just those big orbs and projections (which you've probably seen).

They cram a ton of songs into the set, drawing from all 5 albums -- and many of the songs are abbreviated, to accomplish this, but it doesn't feel rushed or like a "revue." I did think the flow was a little odd in some places, and a few arrangements didn't work so well ("No Tears Left to Cry," of all songs, was leaden). But the core stretch of the show was awesome, beyond satisfying. I kind of wish I had tickets to another tour date!

Oh, some of the choreography was a little corny, too... but in a sort of endearingly "casual" way. During a few costume-change breaks, the big screens play video clips of Ariana hamming it up as a kid. The whole show has a really down-to-earth, "among-friends" feel.

Nuts... Victoria showed up the 2nd night, and they did “Monopoly” >:|

i said it before but i have to say it again, ghostin is an incredibly powerful song...

imagine for cut of the year, though. nobodys going to drop anything realer

New track drops in a few hours

right ?
we wanted to make something uplifting that captures that feeling of being afraid to take the leap & trust, being afraid of being hurt or feeling like you won’t be enough for that person ... but also how it feels to have a crippling crush on someone. 🖤 #Boyfriendtonight https://t.co/IHQ3cRC9iy

— Ariana Grande (@ArianaGrande) August 2, 2019

Nice groove... sort of "thank u, next" pt 2 (same crew)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nA862JDEoKs

The lyrics involve a very specific type of relationship situation, I like when a song goes for that.

It’s great ! Very catch and smooth. Perfect for the summer.

heard it on the radio. sounds like more of the same. is this supposed to be leading off a new project?

No, it’s a one-off they made while on tour.

Also (fwiw), just read that she and Mike from Social House (the first of two guys in the song) have reportedly started dating.

(I wouldn’t normally mention that or care, but I guess it’s relevant/interesting to the extent the song may reflect the actual contours of their relationship)

x_x “chals91”

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/EDVsVloU8AAPAil?format=jpg&name=large

technically speaking none of this says there isn't live autotune

I think the “naw” covers it — but judge for yrself: http://instagr.am/p/B1z5-g2Fl6i/?igshid=6k16bsnrjy6n

Some of the best proof that she can cut it live, and *how* is this from Ellen, she almost falls off the chair and utters a panicked 'OHMYGOD!' before regaining composure, carrying on, getting a fit of the giggles, calming down, then occasionally giggling some more every time she catches sight of one of her dancers, then they all float up the staircase.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tX_vx_s6Gr0

That reminds me I have watched a youtube video about AG hitting a specific note in one song with clips from ALL the dates of the tour... it's like +10min of the same moment of one song on every night of the tour... I don't know how and why I went through that but that was actually quite hypnotic (and an evidence that she sings for real on tour !).

It was this !
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M8Lm-J9BA_U

F5 G5 F5
G5 F5

Btw, I have a ticket to the final (added) show of the tour, at the Forum on Dec. 22. That will be two Ariana Grande shows in one year!

It’s no “Bang Bang,” but it’s a good jam:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=leopt__ATR0

Don’t know where Wikipedia got this info, I can’t find it anywhere else, but:

Songwriter(s)
Alma-Sofia Miettinen
Savan Kotecha
Miley Cyrus
Lana Del Rey
Max Martin
Ariana Grande
Ilya Salmanzadeh

Producer(s)
Ilya
Max Martin

the credits on tidal match that

Well, this is... not good (and far from "Independant Women").
Disappointing. Funny though how the song changes totally and turns into a LDR song during her part !

Nice vocal by AG on this new recording of an (oft-covered) classic:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7gJLWMM0-YU

I've never fully loved that song but this version makes me almost as happy as my daughter is gonna be when she hears it <3

On the heels of the Chenoweth collab (too early for Xmas tunes?):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EWqDwdY0VAg

I picked up the Charlie’s Angels soundtrack... it won’t change yr life, but there are a few nice cuts.

Good attitude, IMO...

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/EEhJLRTUwAEDmbR?format=jpg&name=large

I don't care about charts or medias whatsoever but this is simply not very good, imo (talking about her contribution to the soundtrack only, I haven't listened to the rest).

She’s on 5 of the tracks (and as I said, they won’t change yr life... I’m a completist, tho)

(The “Boyfriend” CD single that I ordered on Aug. 2 just shipped today :p)

Yeah, I was talking about her 5 tracks, all of them pretty meh imo which is disappointing since I was looking forward to new material from her (but she's been on fire - and on tour - for a while, up until "Boyfriend", so that's cool !).

I think “How I Look on You” is a good song; it could have fit on Thank U, Next

(I also like how its opening chords brush against the Star Wars "Imperial March," lol)

The final show of the tour is tonight... I'll be there (alone ;P), in my fLoOr sEaT. Looking forward to it!

She's also dropping a live album from this tour, sometime before end of year (maybe tonite).

I'm jealous. I am kinda surprised she never came back around to do an arena show here (in Manchester) although given the you know 'circumstances' i can understand it.

The show was great. She was v emotional / in tears for much of it (as it was the 100th / final show), and delivered a long, heartfelt thanks to everyone who worked on the tour & made it happen.

The highlight for me was the bopping version of “Honeymoon Ave.”!

https://i.imgur.com/bEOJuEL_d.jpg?maxwidth=640&shape=thumb&fidelity=medium

Very much down for this live album.

The live album is good — they did a nice job w/the sound mix.

...I will add that it doesn’t replicate the experience of an Ariana Grande concert, where your favorite songs are being performed hella loud, and you’re dancing & yelling your a$$ off among like-minded individuals (but you already know that about concerts).

Cool new song snippet:

i miss making things
can’t wait to get back to work
but for now
let’s stay inside pls pic.twitter.com/MbvGeq6KBY

— Ariana Grande (@ArianaGrande) March 24, 2020

my queen <3

as snippets go, that is lovely

october surprise

i can’t wait to give u my album this month

— Ariana Grande (@ArianaGrande) October 14, 2020

Btw - Thank u, next has pretty much become my default/go-to album (...& not just my go-to Ariana Grande album, but album in general).

I'm happy she's enjoying her musical theatre but I'm ready for a new album ffs get on with it

Ah funny, I just went back to « positions » for the first time since around its release. I never got into it as much as « Thank U, next » and well, it’s nice but still doesn’t really work for me. Was it successful ? I hope she’ll release a new one soon !

Btw, she’s funny in « don’t look up » !

xxp – I was gonna say… hope you’re at least aware of the album that came after this one (lol)

demanding that artists pump out content constantly is one of the things that kinda sucks about music in the internet/streaming era.

she released her last album 14 months ago! and she released albums in 2018, 2019 and 2020!

i guess re-reading you, NV, you're not saying "she's due" just that you're ready. fair enough. but at this point i think she could wait till 2023 and it'd be completely reasonable/understandable.

Positions is my fave basically

Nothing about my post was intended to be reasonable 😀

I'm happy she's enjoying her musical theatre but I'm ready for a new album ffs get on with it

^thought of the above convo when I came across this item

well that's me told :D

Kind of a bummer, but she’s doin her thing I guess

i happened to listen to 'thank u next' today, easily one of the best pop albums of the last 5 years