“Thank U, Next”: Album Review

By carolinianweb on February 27, 2019 • ( 0 )

Alliana Avancena
Staff Writer

Ariana Grande’s new album, “Thank U, Next,” has been a recent hit in the U.S. Top 10 Charts since its release date on Feb. 8, 2019. The track playlist includes 12 songs: “imagine,” “needy,” “NASA,” “bloodline,” “fake smile,” “bad idea,” “make up,” “ghostin,” “in my head,” “7 rings,” “thank u, next,” and “break up with your girlfriend, i’m bored.”

This is her second successful album within six months, following her release of “Sweetener” in Aug. 2018. The stylistic approach to naming the music and the trivialized lyrics refer to a deep and personal connection that the songwriter has found within herself. Two of the most popularized songs within the “Thank U, Next” album were both released with YouTube Vevo videos. “Thank U, Next” and “break up with your girlfriend, im bored” are the most pronounced of the songs on the album, with hidden meanings that the media has been analyzing. Among these are possible lyrical references to Mac Miller, her ex-boyfriend who died due to a drug overdose late last year.

Ariana Grande has been riding cloud nine when it comes to her career, but she has exclaimed in multiple public performances that the death of Mac Miller has affected her most, with his loss culminating into a deep sadness throughout her lyrics, much of which she has had some hesitation of publishing with the album. Her album stands for concepts such as the importance of friendship, the difficulty in trusting the process, how life is so unpredictable and how expressing gratitude is essential to the meaning of life.

This album spoke about the wonders within our deep subconscious, the dreams most young teenage girls face and the love that most of us crave, with some of this coming from a complicated relationship that may be toxic. The advice Ariana Grande gives through her lyrics is how sometimes compensation and patience won’t win when it comes to giving it all to someone else.

Ariana Grande leaves a lasting impact in thinking about how even independence is hard to maintain. Simply put, her words reiterate how easy it is to fall back into an old pattern of thinking that is complacent. Her flair for feminism and the respect she has for the LGBTQ+ community spark the energy which permeates throughout the album. Though different from “Sweetener” and her past work, “Thank u, Next” brings anthem after anthem, which will leave listeners heartbroken, lovesick and empowered all at once.