On Nov. 3, Ariana Grande dropped her latest single, “thank u, next,” in response to her recent break-up from ex-fiancé Pete Davidson. What many see as a petty diss-track to Grande’s list of exes is actually the singer’s way of dealing with the adversities she has faced in the past year.
On May 22, 2017, a suicide bomber killed 22 people at Manchester Arena in Manchester, United Kingdom, following a concert on Grande’s “Dangerous Woman” tour. Grande, reeling from the devastating terrorist attack, responded by hosting a benefit concert. “One Love Manchester” and raised over 10 million euros for the We Love Manchester Emergency Fund and the victims of the bombing. The following year, Grande remained quiet, and recovered from the emotional traumas inflicted from the Manchester attack.
Grande returned to the spotlight in April 2018 with the first single off her latest studio album. “no tears left to cry” combines a UK garage beat with the soulful vocal runs to which fans of Grande have grown accustomed. Grande captures the attention of the listeners with her lullaby-sweet voice over the disco-inspired track when she says that she “ain’t got no tears in my body / I ran out but boy I like it.” She was done crying.
In the single’s cover, Grande in a sleek ponytail, has a rainbow splashed across her face like light passing through a prism. Grande’s previous studio album covers have all been in black and white, so this one shows that now she is finally able to let in the light. In the weeks leading up to
Sweetener
, her fourth studio album, Grande’s name was plastered across headlines the internet because she had entered a whirlwind romance with
SNL
comedian Pete Davidson. On May 30, they confirmed their relationship on Instagram, and less than a month after their relationship was announced, the couple confirmed that they were engaged.
“Sweetener” was preceded by the singles “the light is coming,” a track about the light taking back “everything the darkness stole,” and “God is a woman,” an uber-confident, uber-sexual track about Grande owning her feminine wiles. Released in the throes of her relationship and engagement to Pete Davidson, the album explores the ins and outs of a relationship. With tracks like “R.E.M.,” about the dreamlike state of being in love, “everytime,” about the inability to stay away from a toxic partnership, and “better off,” about letting go of something that is not working, the album is multi-faceted. Songs like “get well soon” and “breathin” delve into Grande’s struggles with anxiety, a side fans had yet to see from her. When the album was released, it looked as if Grande had taken the hell of a year she’d had — with the Manchester bombings and the recent split from rapper Mac Miller — and turned it into something quite remarkable.
Unfortunately, Grande’s tough year was not over. Mac Miller tragically died from a drug overdose on Sept. 7, and on Oct. 14, it was reported that Ariana Grande and Pete Davidson had called off their engagement. Some sources claimed that the death of Mac Miller was their breaking point.
Less than a month later, Grande responded to the public with the release of “thank u, next.” The song lists Grande’s exes by name: rapper Big Sean, Ricky Alvarez, Davidson, and Mac Miller, whom she calls “an angel.” She doesn’t use their names to cast blame, but rather to thank. She credits them for teaching her love, patience, and pain, saying that she’s grateful for her exes.
The biggest takeaway from “thank u, next” is not what Grande says about her exes, but what she says about her relationship with herself: “Plus I met someone else / We havin’ better discussions / I know they say I move on too fast / But this one gon’ last / ’Cause her name is Ari / And I’m so good with that.” She goes on to sing that she also taught herself love and patience, and that she admires how she handles pain.
This past year has cemented Ariana Grande’s status as a pop superstar and has let people know that she is a force to be reckoned with. If we learn anything from her year, it’s how to take a painful situation and grow from it. Grande wants to show the world how to bring the light to the dark to make things sweeter.
