Thank U, Next
Ariana Grande
2019
Instead of delivering an album full of sorrow and misery, the pop star extraordinaire rose like a phoenix to deliver her most successful era after facing two more defining heartbreaks.
Trap-Pop/Cloudy R&B/Hip Pop Soul
BY HARPSICHORD
MARCH 16, 2024
The eras between sweetener and thank u, next felt like a whirlwind. Quickly spaced only six months apart from one another’s official album release, both eras instantly made Ariana Grande the most dominant female pop star of her generation. The companion pieces both featured album covers where her headshot was flipped upside down, as a means to resemble what she was going through in life.
While sweetener delved into the therapy she sought out after the 2017 Manchester Arena bombing, her break up with Mac Miller, and her sudden engagement to Pete Davidson, thank u, next found her speeding past the death of the former and quick break up with the latter. Sweetener had defined her sound, but thank u, next perfected it with the help of key industry friends.
The title track kicked off the era of thank u, next by featuring a music video of Ariana Grande spoofing the 2004 teen flick, ‘Mean Girls.’ In the visual, Grande strutted down the hallways as the movie’s villain, Regina George, as she embraced being a villain. It had been a play from the book of successful female pop stars of the generations that preceded her.
In the song itself, there is a dreamy beat that worked on the strengths of 60s-oriented beachy pop, while simultaneously embracing the wave of bubblegum. Offering a catchphrase for moving on through its title, the song mentioned a few of her famous exes. She “thought I’d end up with [Big] Sean.” She “wrote some songs about Ricky [Alvarez],” her backup dancer from the Honeymoon Tour in 2015. “And for Pete [Davidson], I’m so thankful,” she said about her fly by night ex-fiancé, showing there were no hard feelings after all. But of course the one who haunted her the most, “Malcolm [Miller]” is who she “wish I could say ‘thank you’” to prior to his passing a month after sweetener dropped in 2018.
The idea of mourning comes in a few tracks on thank u, next . On “imagine,” she thinks over the ballad about what their life would be like together should he have remained alive. And on “ghostin” she is near break down over the strings of an orchestra as she reveals he still appears in her dreams. “Ghostin” works as the opposite of “R.E.M.” from sweetener — it builds and builds but in the way Selena does on her signature hit “Dreaming of You.” However, Ariana’s version starts with “I know you hear me when I cry.” In fact, it addresses why her and Pete Davidson might have found trouble in the relationship: “I know it breaks your heart when I cry again, over him.”
But thank u, next is not full of sorrow. In fact, it’s quite the opposite. It’s like the daughter of Rihanna’s 2011 album, Talk That Talk by the way it pushes through as a motor. “NASA” loops in outer space, with Grande cheekily responding to her man, “Give you the whole world, I’mma need space!” Confessing, “I’d rather be alone tonight,” by the end she repeats that thought in an orchestral fashion that models after the early eras of commercial jingles.
Conveniently working as a break up album (twice), “bloodline” follows up “NASA” with a reggae meets ska beat. “Don’t want you in my bloodline,” she sings. “But you gonna have to let this sh!t go,” as horns blare in the background. She makes exes having sex sound just as engaging and exhilarating with “make up” which mentions a “Fenty beauty kit.” Maybe a subtle nod to how Rihanna’s bad girl persona and newly found mogul status served as an inspiration not only for the album but also her own future endeavors. The beat itself stops and goes, while stumbling along a tropical riddim and the cloudy synths present throughout the album.
“Bad idea” embraces the villain role, as the go-to pop trope of enticing an equally matching bad buy. Her Harajuku background singers repeat, “Ari Chan,” which means close family member or lover. “bad idea” speeds along with the help of an electric guitar, throwing back to the sounds of mall rock that graced MTV in the late ‘90s.
However, her usage of Japanese culture would get her into some trouble. Some felt as though she was culturally appropriating, and not doing a good job at it. That leads into her second No. 1 single, “7 rings.” Not only did the video feature looks and scenery that screamed Japan, but also opened up debates about white women posing as Black in order to gain success. The controversy helped the song more than hurt it. Rapping and singing in front of a pink trap house, “7 rings” became an anthem for getting what you want because of “riches.” Its braggadocious charm cleverly flipped an interpolation of Rodgers and Hammerstein’s “My Favorite Things” from ‘The Sound of Music.’ It also made Grande the poster child of trap-pop at its ultimate peak.
The remainder of the album showed how she bounced back while being candid. “fake smile” incorporates a sample of 1964’s soul song “After Laughter (Comes Tears)” by Wendy Rene. It’s the most hip hop soul listeners had experienced Ariana Grande thus far, as she is raw with saying “f*ck a fake smile.” It’s the type of song bad b!tches can relate to when they’re exhausted from always having to put a front on in front of an audience and finally want to lash out with a vulnerable moment. While, “in my head” dives head first in trap&B, where Grande scathes her ex right before “thank u, next.” “Painted a picture, I thought I knew you well” and “they see demon, I see angel,” she divulges her foolishness. Just to light Stan Twitter on fire with a reference to a picture of Davidson: “I invented you/Your Gucci tennis shoes/Runnin’ from your issues.” Ouch!
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Related Tangents
Oddly enough, as the break up and recovery stage is over, Ariana Grande has moved on to her next conquest. Slyly sampling the electro-hop&B beat of N*SYNC’s “It Makes Me Ill,” she gives “break up with your girlfriend, i’m bored.” She’s embracing her newfound reputation of being a “homewrecker” in the eyes of the public. But maybe she’ll need to get into that portion a few albums later— cause through its staggering success thank u, next is only Act II of what is now IV, as of this review’s publishing in 2024!
“Bloodline” for being a fast paced number that delivers with the usage of blaring horns.
“Make up” for the bridge of “Let me stay in my bag 'cause I like when you mad/It's a mood, it's a vibe, it's a look, it's a match” and the subtle Fenty Beauty drop acknowledging a huge influence on pop music.
“Fake smile” for being resilient and the most candid Ariana Grande has gotten about her image. There is also a solid bridge that sounds as if it is circus music– playing into the notion that her life is turning into a freak show due to all the attention its receiving.
“In my head” for the aforementioned lines going at Pete Davidson and being a strong R&B record full of confessional drama.
“Bad idea” for being sounding like the quintessential angsty pop rock of the likes of The Veronicas and t.A.T.u.
Key Tracks
Thank u, next should be considered one of the greatest pop albums of contemporary history. From the moment it was released, this project made a bold statement about how much she has grown as an artist. It’s a no skip listen with each track flowing into one another. What makes it stand out is the superb pacing that has listeners enthralled in the entire story. It felt as though dynamic pop had made a return to the scene.