Twenty-five year old Ariana Grande has been through a lot this year, and she is known for telling her fans all about her life through her music. Her newest album is no different. Ariana Grande released her album “thank u, next” on February 8th, 2019. The album includes twelve different songs, including the two singles “7 rings”, and the title song of the album, “thank u, next.” It definitely does not fall under one category, every song has a different vibe that is super relatable and easy to jam to. The scale goes from blasting it in your car and screaming along to curling up in your room while this album throws you in your bag.

It opens with the song “imagine,” a slow love song about imagining the perfect world with someone. It is speculated that this song is about Mac Miller, Grande’s ex who passed away due to an accidental drug overdose in 2018. Ariana explained in a tweet that she picked this song first because it balances out the energy of “thank u, next” and “7 rings.” This song is more unsure and vulnerable in comparison to the other two confident and commanding singles. She also mentioned that this song is more denial than moving on as the other two are. Fans have theorized that this song is about Miller for this very reason. It is a very sweet song with more serious undertones.

The second song, “needy,” expresses more of her insecurities and she admits that she is needy and “how good it feels to be needed.” This is another very vulnerable song but I like the fact that she’s not afraid to say she is needy, a word society usually sees in a negative light. It’s very honest and again sweet. There aren’t too many lyrics and it’s overall and easy listen.

“NASA” is the next song on the album, which is a perfect play on words as the song is about Grande needing space from someone. She uses many space references (gravity, stars, etc.) and she compares herself to the universe and this someone being NASA.

The fourth song is one of a couple that have an audio clip at the beginning. The song, “bloodline,” begins with a few words from Grande’s grandmother. The entire song is basically about not having a serious relationship but “having a good time.” It is an upbeat song with a little bit of a scandalous message, but it’s definitely a good song to jam with some friends to.

The next song actually opens with another song, “After Laughter,” a track by Wendy Rene from 1964 that has been used many times before in different hip-hop songs. Little clips of the song are used underneath the beat of the fifth song, “fake smile.” This is another very real song, as Grande talks about faking happiness and not really being happy with her current life. So far I really appreciate how honest this album is and it seems very true to Ariana. It really makes the music more relatable to her listeners.

Halfway through the album is “bad idea,” is about distracting herself from all of her exes and trying to find someone to “numb the pain.” Towards the end, the song sounds like it ends but actually continues the beat for a little bit with some muffled vocals. The song has a good vibe and sound besides the iffy message.

This song, “make up,” is a play on words with beauty products and making up with a boy. It’s a short song, a little over 2 minutes, but it’s a nice, light song to listen to. The sound is very sweet and somewhat upbeat. I think it’s a good break in between some of the serious songs.

Speaking of serious songs, “ghostin” is the eighth song in the album, and it is a very real message that is very personal to Ariana’s life. The song talks about being with one person, but loving or not being able to get over another. It has been speculated by fans that the song is about Mac Miller’s death and how Ariana continues to get upset about it. The other person is assumed to be Pete Davidson, who understands what she is going through, but gets upset when she cries over Miller. This situation seems very possible, but fans never really got a confirmed story on Ariana ending her and Pete’s engagement. The song is very sad and slow, a good emotional song for any girl to relate to.

The next song is a little more upbeat, but not very positive. The song, “in my head,” is about falling in love with the image of a person made up in your mind, only to realize that is not who that person really is. It opens with an audio from a man, ultimately saying that this has gone on too long and that image isn’t the real thing. This could possibly be about Davidson as well, and that could be a real call from a friend of Ariana’s. No confirmations on this one either, but the song is another easy listen if you’re not analyzing the lyrics.

The last three are the most popular on the album, considering two were singles before hand. Number ten is “7 rings,” the second single to come out before the album was released. It revolves around and uses the tune of the song “My Favorite Things,” used in The Sound of Music. The entire song is about all of the luxuries and money Ariana has, and if “[she] wants it, [she] got it.” It also includes a line saying that she bought rings for six of her friends. It was later revealed who the six are, Kaydence Krysiuk, Njomza, Tayla Parx, Victoria Monét, Alexa Luria, and Courtney Chipolone. Personally, I don’t follow Ariana’s personal life too closely, so I don’t know who any of those people are. Either way, the song is a hit and it is definitely a great song to jam with you friends to.

Now for the title of the album, “thank u, next.” This was released as a single in November, soon after ending her engagement with Davidson. The song is about all of Ariana’s exes, each one of them receiving a shoutout in the beginning, as well as how they have helped her grow and learn to love herself. The overall message is how strong she is now and how she doesn’t need any of them, she thanks them for what she has become and makes it apparent she is moving on from it all. This is truly an iconic song, showing girls everywhere how she has overcome her struggles with each guy she has been with, and is stronger than ever. It is sassy and fun, but still a very confident message and drama or no drama, it’s really good.

The album ends with “break up with your girlfriend, i’m bored.” This song is one of the most popular on the album after the two singles, and has a really good beat. The song is about a guy Grande wants, and how he should break up with his girlfriend because she is nothing compared to herself. A very bold song, a little bit of a crazy message, but the song is a bop and sort of up for interpretation after the music video was released a couple of weeks ago. The entire music video makes it seem like Grande is after the boy, (played by Charles Melton,) but at the very end right before it cuts to black, Grande turns to the girlfriend and looks like she is about to kiss her. It’s interesting how she makes her music videos with creative spins and she never seems to disappoint.

Here is my list of her new songs from favorite to least favorite:

• break up with you girlfriend, i’m bored

• thank u, next

• NASA

• needy

• imagine

• 7 rings

• bad idea

• in my head

• ghostin

• fake smile

• bloodline

• make up

Overall, I really like the album. It is safe to say that all of the songs are fun and easy to listen to, but each one has a deeper meaning. Ariana Grande’s music is very powerful and she makes her songs relatable to her mostly teenage audience. Whether you need to dance, cry, or belt it out, this album has it all.