Ariana Grande debuted as a singer in 2013 with her album Yours Truly. With her debut came a long and fulfilling career as a singer. However, Ariana’s music has gone through a few changes (an evolution if you will) over the past couple of years. Ariana has unfortunately had her share of heartache and has even had to endure therapy due to her PTSD, this in turn has made not only her music evolve but also herself as a person.
Yours Truly
After leaving her acting career behind her with ‘Victorious’ and ‘Sam & Cat’ rapping up, Ariana released her debut album. Yours Truly is a vibrant pop album infused with 90s R&B. The singer wrote and released it at only 20 years old, emphasizing her latent talent and potential. During this era her music was often leaning more towards the pop side, with songs such as ‘Popular Song’ and ‘Better Left Unsaid’ but there was some experimenting with 90s R&B with songs like ‘The Way’ and ‘Right There’ creating a beautiful contrast of heart-fluttering ballads.
My Everything
A year after her debut album in 2014, Ariana Grande released her next album titled My Everything. This album unlike the latter was labeled as more ‘grown up’. Since the beginning of her singing career, many people compared Ariana to R&B singer Mariah Carey with her use of whistle notes and her strong and beautiful voice. This album gives off Mariah vibes with songs like ‘Only 1’ and ‘You Don’t Know Me’ as the singer belts beautifully to the R&B instrumentals.
Dangerous Woman
In 2016 Ariana Grande released Dangerous Woman which came as a shock to her younger fans. In this album Ariana takes on an alter-ego of sorts, becoming a ‘dangerous woman’ as the album and song infer. Like the last album, it is as if the singer comes out of her shell bit by bit each album, as she becomes more comfortable with exploring sexuality. This album has explosive hits such as ‘Greedy’ and ‘Into You’ that are profusely pop but again explores a range of R&B music such as ‘Side To Side’ and Let Me Love You’, these are more updated versions of the genre unlike her past 90s R&B songs.
Sweetener
2 years after the release of Dangerous Woman fans were excited to hear about her new album Sweetener. The album encompasses how much Ariana has changed. Songs like ‘successful’ highlight the importance of self-love and being proud of one’s own accomplishments. The album emanates Ariana’s personal healing from the harrowing Manchester bombing. She had to find herself again and with finding herself she found her voice. Sweetener is also a look into the glow of new love and relationships which Ariana had with her then-boyfriend Pete Davidson.
Thank u, next
Following the passing of her ex-boyfriend Mac Miller, Ariana Grande was heartbroken. The trauma she endured caused her to spiral and eventually end things with Pete Davidson while she grieved. 5 months after Sweetener Ariana felt as if she had to share her feelings with the world through thank u, next. The album, being her most personal album yet was refined and effortlessly beautiful. Her emotions were her own, especially in the title track ‘thank u, next’. Although, most noticeably in the song ‘ghostin’ where she recounts her relationship with Pete and her grievance of Mac.
Positions/Positions (Deluxe)
Ariana Grande’s most recent album Positions was released in 2020. The deluxe version released in early 2021, with the sudden outbreak of COVID Ariana wanted to spread a little joy. Positions is light and feathery with Ariana coming to terms with her past, and at peace with her sexuality. The album explores her navigating her new relationship with her now-husband Dalton Gomez. This album leans into more of a sultry and soulful R&B vibe, a change from the original albums. With features like Doja Cat and Meghan Thee Stallion, the album exudes women exploring their sexuality.
