sweetener is Ariana Grande’s fourth album. And it’s awesome.
The year? 2018. The world? Pretty normal, considering what was to come. At the time, Ariana Grande was promoting sweetener, a comeback album of sorts. A year prior to the album’s release, Ariana was the center of media attention when a terrorist attacked her live performance at Manchester Arena while on the Dangerous Woman tour. She had, understandably, suffered a great deal of anxiety and depression following the event. She paused her tour at the time to plan and perform at a charity concert to benefit victims of the attack, and not long after took a break from social media.
Many consider sweetener to be her response to these events, as she described the album as “bringing light to a situation… a sweetener to the situation.” The album also deals with relationships, both good and bad, which were likely a reference to Ariana’s off-and-on relationship with musician Mac Miller and her then-budding relationship with “Saturday Night Live” talent Pete Davidson (the penultimate track on the album is literally named “Pete Davidson”).
Truthfully, I was not a fan of Ariana originally, in a sense that I was a big fan. When her songs first started appearing on the radio, I saw this video of her performing on Jimmy Fallon. I felt very disappointed that her incredible voice was hidden behind autotune in generic pop songs.
I never said I was perfect.
Right around the time she released “Dangerous Woman,” I had changed my tune (read: had an attitude adjustment). A year later, I was happy to see that she had taken such a dark time in her life (combined with the anxiety from the Manchester Arena attack and the fact that everyone had an opinion on her every mannerism and personal detail) and turned it into something positive and beautiful.
Here’s a brief reflection on sweetener, in honor of Ariana’s instagram post, earlier this week, of new music in the imminent future.
The highs:
- raindrops (an angel cried) – The album opens with an a capella, 37-second song featuring only Ariana’s voice. It literally sounds like angels calling to you from the heavens. It feels like a call, and it’s downright haunting.
- God is a woman – She REALLY is. This song is a celebration of women, to their empowerment and ownership of their identity. The music video for this track makes a handful of theological and historical references (there was a bout of criticism regarding this song, as to be expected), but also notably includes a scene in which Ariana is Rodin’s The Thinker, as insults are literally hurled at her.
- Sweetener – This is just a feel good, fun, dance to this when you have the gym to yourself, jam. It’s the eponymous track of the album, and it epitomizes the whole feeling of the album: sometimes life is really, really hard, but the right people, and the right attitude, can make it a lot easier.
Underrated bops:
- Successful – Granted, I first heard this song in an Instagram story, and not a proper album listen, but it’s another mood booster. This is a song you play when YOU get the check, when YOU buy yourself something nice. It’s a song that tells you, “you deserve this.” Who cares if you have $-2.23 in your checking account?
- goodnight n go – The chorus of this song just h i t s differently for me. I didn’t realize it at the time, but it’s a cover of an Imogen Heap song. Ariana’s dreamy, but poppy cover works, and no one else could compete with Imogen’s ability to hit those high notes!
- pete davidson – Okay, the relationship didn’t last, but that doesn’t change the fact that this song is great. I think it perfectly encapsulates that giddy feeling of “Wow, this person makes me happier than I thought I could ever be.” This song radiates pure happiness and joy, and quite frankly, at that point in her life, that was when Ariana needed that most.
My favorite:
- Breathin – This track is a direct reference to Ariana’s anxiety post-Manchester. It is, as the name suggests, a reminder to keep breathing, even when it feels like you can’t. It doesn’t need much more of a descriptor than that.
This is one of my favorite albums of all-time. I don’t think I’m alone in that sentiment! The album landed placings on multiple “Best Of”s that year. It was even on a few lists of “Best Of”s for the entire decade. I consider Ariana to be one of the top three greatest female voices of my “generation” (other two on that list are Adele and Demi Lovato. Do you dissent? Hit me with your best shot). This album proves that behind that incredible voice, there’s a genuine person who has lived through trauma and is stronger for it. That’s pretty sweet.