Thinking Weekly

6 years later, Ariana Grande’s 4th studio album hits the same as the first listen.

It’s New Year’s Eve 2017. Out of nowhere, Ariana Grande drops a short acapella clip on Instagram, teasing a new track with the caption “see you next year”. After a four-month hiatus, she makes her comeback with No Tears Left to Cry and announces her next album, Sweetener, is dropping on August 17th. Just like that, the Sweetener era begins.

Sweetener is one of those albums that always comes to mind when I think about my favorites. Every track brings a different vibe, a different feeling, and it never gets old. In honor of its anniversary, I did a front-to-back relisten for the first time in a while, and somehow, each track still feels as fresh as the first time I clicked play.

The album kicks off with Raindrops (an angel cried), a chilling acapella intro that showcases Grande’s vocal ability and sets the stage for the rest of the album. Blazed follows, a collaboration with Pharrell Williams that doesn’t get nearly the credit it deserves. Then there’s The Light is Coming with Nicki Minaj, proving once again how well they work together.

R.E.M is up next—a track originally meant for Beyoncé but reclaimed by Ariana, eventually inspiring her R.E.M Beauty line. God is a Woman follows, one of her fiercest singles to date (in my opinion). The title track Sweetener and Successful blend effortlessly into each other, perfectly capturing the album’s overall aesthetic.

The second half of the album features some of Grande’s best work to date. The run from Everytime into Breathin, No Tears Left to Cry, and Borderline doesn’t give listeners a moment to catch their breath (pun intended). Better Off adds emotional depth, a track written long before the album but taking on a new meaning here. Goodnight n Go reimagines the Imogen Heap classic with stunning results.

The interlude Pete Davidson is a beautiful moment on the album, followed by the closing track Get Well Soon, an emotional tribute to the victims of the Manchester attack and the perfect way close the project.

Ariana’s ability to make such a unique and versatile album flow seamlessly needs to be studied. While definitely more experimental than her other projects, Sweetener has easily become a pop classic, while also giving us some of Ariana’s most emotional and authentic work to date. Coming from what must’ve been one of the most difficult periods of Grande’s life, her willingness to share what she had been feeling at the time is nothing less than inspiring.