Thank U- Next

Thank U, Next (stylized in all lowercase) is the fifth studio album by American singer Ariana Grande, released on February 8, 2019, by Republic Records. Following the release of her previous studio album Sweetener (2018), Grande began working on a new album in October of the same year, enlisting writers and producers such as Tommy Brown, Max Martin, Ilya Salmanzadeh and Andrew "Pop" Wansel. The album was created in the midst of personal matters, including the death of her ex-boyfriend Mac Miller and break up with fiancé Pete Davidson.

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Thank U, Next
Digital edition cover; the border is colored black instead of pink on the physical edition[1][2]
Studio album by
Ariana Grande
ReleasedFebruary 8, 2019 (2019-02-08)
RecordedOctober–December 2018[3][4]
Genre
Length41:11
LabelRepublic
Producer
Ariana Grande chronology
Sweetener
(2018)		 Thank U, Next
(2019)
Singles from Thank U, Next
  1. "Thank U, Next"
    Released: November 3, 2018
  2. "7 Rings"
    Released: January 18, 2019
  3. "Break Up with Your Girlfriend, I'm Bored"
    Released: February 8, 2019

Thank U, Next (stylized in all lowercase) is the fifth studio album by American singer Ariana Grande, released on February 8, 2019, by Republic Records.[7][8] Following the release of her previous studio album Sweetener (2018), Grande began working on a new album in October of the same year, enlisting writers and producers such as Tommy Brown, Max Martin, Ilya Salmanzadeh and Andrew "Pop" Wansel. The album was created in the midst of personal matters, including the death of her ex-boyfriend Mac Miller and break up with fiancé Pete Davidson.

The title track was released as the album's lead single on November 3, 2018, peaking atop of the charts of 12 countries and becoming Grande's first number-one single on the US Billboard Hot 100. The track also broke a string of records, including the record for the most plays in a single day by a female artist on Spotify. Its second single, "7 Rings", was released on January 18, 2019, peaking at number one in 15 countries and making Grande the third female artist to have two or more songs debuting atop of the Hot 100. "Break Up with Your Girlfriend, I'm Bored" was released as the third single on the day of the album's release.[9] In support of both Sweetener and Thank U, Next, Grande will embark on the Sweetener World Tour, beginning in March 2019.

Background

In September 2018, Grande's ex-boyfriend, rapper Mac Miller, died from a drug overdose. The following month, Grande announced that she would take a break from music.[10] That same month, however, Grande revealed that she had been in the studio working on new music, and she announced the Sweetener World Tour (2019). She stated that the tour would support both her fourth studio album, Sweetener (2018), and her upcoming fifth studio album.[11][12] Later in October 2018, Grande broke off her engagement with comedian Pete Davidson.[13] Without prior announcement, Grande released the title track of the album as the lead single on November 3, 2018.[14][15]

Singles

"Thank U, Next" was released as the lead single from the album on November 3, 2018.[14] She performed the song on The Ellen DeGeneres Show on November 7.[16]

The second single, "7 Rings", was released on January 18, 2019.[17] "Break Up with Your Girlfriend, I'm Bored" was released as the third single on February 8, 2019.

Promotional singles

A promotional single, "Imagine", was released on December 14, 2018.[18] Grande performed the song on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon on December 18, 2018.[19]

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
AnyDecentMusic?8.1/10[20]
Metacritic87/100[21]
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[5]
The A.V. ClubA−[22]
Entertainment WeeklyB+[23]
Exclaim!8/10[24]
The Guardian[25]
The Independent[26]
NME[27]
Pitchfork7.9/10[28]
Rolling Stone[29]
The Telegraph[30]

At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, Thank U, Next has an average score of 87 based on 21 reviews, indicating "universal acclaim".[21] Many critics praised the cohesiveness and production of the album. Ross Horton from The Line of Best Fit praised both the songwriting and production of the album, stating that it is an "airtight, dense pop record with an obnoxiously brash production" and commenting that "even the most delicate, sensual things here are tightly compressed and scrubbed of anything resembling acoustics."[31] AllMusic's Stephen Thomas Erlewine also gave the album a positive review, commenting that "Grande is swaggering with [...] confidence" and concluding that the album "embodies every aspect of Ariana Grande, the grand pop star."[5] Mikael Wood of the Los Angeles Times said, "Thank U, Next flaunts Grande's emotional healing; it's suffused with the joy of discovering that what didn't kill her really did make her stronger."[32]

Michael Cragg of The Guardian commented that Thank U, Next seems to be a "result of a burst of creativity and a prevailing mood", yet criticized "7 Rings" as a "braggadocious, ice-cold low point" of the album. He concluded positively, stating that Grande is a "pop star [...] finally working out who they are and what they want to say" and compared the album to Rihanna's Anti.[25] Helen Brown from The Independent stated that that Grande is "embracing her inner mean girl (on the sexy "Break Up with Your Girlfriend, I'm Bored") [and] owning her flaws and contradictions" on tracks such as "Needy" and "NASA", yet concluding that the album lacks enough "vocal grit".[26] Sal Cinquemani from Slant Magazine awarded the album three-and-a-half stars out of five, believing that the album "is easily Grande's most sonically consistent effort to date". He criticized that "some of the [...] tracks tend to blur together", but ultimately concluded in saying that Grande's "refusal to fake a smile that proves to be what makes her so damn likeable."[33]

Track listing

Thank U, Next[34]
No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
1."Imagine"
3:32
2."Needy"
Brown2:51
3."NASA"
  • Grande
  • Monét
  • Parx
  • Brown
  • Charles Anderson
  • Brown
  • Anderson
3:02
4."Bloodline"
  • Martin
  • Ilya
3:36
5."Fake Smile"
  • Pop Wansel
  • Happy Perez
3:28
6."Bad Idea"
  • Grande
  • Martin
  • Salmanzadeh
  • Kotecha
  • Martin
  • Ilya
4:27
7."Make Up"
  • Grande
  • Monét
  • Parx
  • Brown
  • Brian Malik Baptiste
  • Brown
  • Baptiste
2:20
8."Ghostin"
  • Grande
  • Martin
  • Salmanzadeh
  • Kotecha
  • Monét
  • Parx
  • Martin
  • Ilya
4:31
9."In My Head"
  • Wansel
  • Grande
  • Perez
  • Brittany "Chi" Coney
  • Denisia Andrews
  • Lindel Deon Nelson, Jr.
  • Roberts
  • Pop Wansel
  • Happy Perez
  • Nova Wav[a]
3:42
10."7 Rings"
  • Brown
  • Anderson
  • Foster
2:58
11."Thank U, Next"
  • Grande
  • Monét
  • Parx
  • Vitia
  • Krysiuk
  • Brown
  • Foster
  • Anderson
  • Brown
  • Foster
  • Anderson
3:27
12."Break Up with Your Girlfriend, I'm Bored"
  • Martin
  • Ilya
3:10
Total length:41:11

Notes

Samples

Personnel

Credits adapted from Tidal.[38]

Vocals

Instrumentation

  • Happy Perez – guitar (tracks 1, 5, 9), keyboards (tracks 1, 5, 9)
  • Pop Wansel – keyboards (tracks 1, 5, 9)
  • Peter Lee Johnson – strings (track 2)
  • Wojtek Bylund – alto saxophone (track 4)
  • Ilya Salmanzadeh – bass (tracks 4, 6, 8, 12), drums (tracks 4, 6, 12), guitar (tracks 4, 6, 8), keyboards (tracks 4, 6, 8, 12), string arrangement (track 6)
  • Janne Bjerger – trumpet (track 4)
  • Max Martin – bass (tracks 4, 6, 8, 12), drums (tracks 4, 6, 12), guitar (tracks 4, 6, 8), keyboards (tracks 4, 6, 8, 12), string arrangement (track 6)
  • Mattias Bylund – horns arrangement (track 4), strings (tracks 6, 8), string arrangement (track 6), violin (track 6)
  • Magnus Johannson – trumpet (track 4)
  • Peter Noos Johannson – trombone (track 4)
  • Tomas Johannson – tenor saxophone (track 4)
  • JProof – keyboards (tracks 5, 9)
  • David Bukovinszky – cello (tracks 6, 8)
  • Alexander West – guitar (track 7)
  • Larrance Dopson – guitar (track 7)
  • Mattias Johannson – violin (track 8)

Production

  • Ariana Grande – executive production, vocal production (all tracks)
  • Scooter Braun – executive production
  • Happy Perez – production (tracks 1, 5, 9)
  • Pop Wansel – production (tracks 1, 5, 9)
  • Tommy Brown – production (tracks 2–3, 7, 10–11)
  • Charles Anderson – production (tracks 3, 10–11)
  • Max Martin – production (tracks 4, 6, 8, 12), vocal production (track 8)
  • Ilya Salmanzadeh – production (tracks 4, 6, 8, 12), vocal production (track 8)
  • Brian Baptiste – production (track 7)
  • Michael Foster – production (tracks 10–11)
  • Victoria Monét – vocal production (tracks 2–3, 7–8, 10–11)
  • Tayla Parx – vocal production (tracks 2, 7)
  • Brittany Chi Coney – additional production (track 9)
  • Denisia Andrews – additional production (track 9)
  • Andrew Luftman – production coordination (tracks 1, 5, 9)
  • Sarah Shelton – production coordination (tracks 1, 5, 9)
  • Zvi Edelman – production coordination (tracks 1, 5, 9)

Technical

  • Happy Perez – programming (tracks 1, 5, 9)
  • Pop Wansel – programming (tracks 1, 5, 9)
  • Tommy Brown – programming (tracks 2–3, 10)
  • Charles Anderson – programming (tracks 3, 10)
  • Ilya Salmanzadeh – programming (tracks 4, 6, 8, 12)
  • Max Martin – programming (tracks 4, 6, 8, 12)
  • Michael Foster – programming (track 10)
  • John Hanes – mixing (tracks 1–3, 10), mixing assistance (tracks 4–9, 11–12)
  • Serban Ghenea – mixing (all tracks)
  • Billy Hickey – engineering (tracks 2, 3, 7, 10, 11)
  • Sam Holland – engineering (tracks 6, 8)
  • Brendan Morawski – recording (track 1), engineering (tracks 2, 3, 5, 7–11)
  • Joe Gallagher – recording (track 1), engineering (tracks 5, 9)
  • Sean Klein – recording assistance (tracks 1–3, 5, 7–8, 10, 11), remix engineering assistance (track 9)
  • Jeremy Lertola – recording assistance (tracks 4, 6, 8, 12)
  • Cory Bice – recording assistance (tracks 4, 6, 8, 12)

Charts

Chart (2019) Peak
position
Australian Albums (ARIA)[40] 1
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders)[41] 1
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Wallonia)[42] 2
Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)[43] 2
German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[44] 3
Irish Albums (IRMA)[45] 1
Italian Albums (FIMI)[46] 2
Japanese Albums (Oricon)[47] 12
Japanese Hot Albums (Billboard Japan)[48] 10
New Zealand Albums (RMNZ)[49] 1
Norwegian Albums (VG-lista)[50] 1
Scottish Albums (OCC)[51] 1
Swedish Albums (Sverigetopplistan)[52] 1
UK Albums (OCC)[53] 1

Release history

Region Date Format(s) Label Ref.
Various February 8, 2019
Republic [54][55]
May 10, 2019 LP [56]

References

  1. ↑ "thank u, next by Ariana Grande on Apple Music". Apple Music. January 25, 2019. Retrieved January 25, 2019.
  2. ↑ "Ariana Grande – thank u, next". Amazon. January 25, 2019. Retrieved January 25, 2019.
  3. ↑ Maicki, Salvatore (October 2, 2018). "Ariana Grande is back in the studio working on new music". The Fader. Retrieved November 11, 2018.
  4. ↑ "Ariana Grande hints new album is ready but her record label won't release it". Big Top 40. December 5, 2018. Retrieved December 10, 2018.
  5. 1 2 3 Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "thank u, next- Ariana Grande". AllMusic. Retrieved February 8, 2019.
  6. 1 2 Jenkins, Craig. "Thank U, Next Is a Phoenix Moment for Ariana Grande". Vulture. Retrieved February 8, 2019.
  7. ↑ Grande, Ariana [@ArianaGrande] (January 23, 2019). "feb 8" (Tweet). Retrieved January 23, 2019 – via Twitter.
  8. ↑ Blistein, Jon (January 22, 2019). "Ariana Grande Details Thank U, Next Track List, Release Date". Rolling Stone. United States. Retrieved January 23, 2019.
  9. ↑ Spanos, Brittany. "Watch Ariana Grande Party in 'Break Up With Your Girlfriend I'm Bored' Video". Rolling Stone. Retrieved February 8, 2019.
  10. ↑ Shepherd, Jack (October 11, 2018). "Ariana Grande confirms break from music following rapper Mac Miller's death". The Independent. Retrieved November 4, 2018.
  11. ↑ Espinoza, Joshua (October 3, 2018). "Ariana Grande Is Back in the Studio After Taking Time Off". Complex. Retrieved November 4, 2018.
  12. ↑ Sippell, Margeaux (October 25, 2018). "Ariana Grande Announces 'Sweetener World Tour' Dates". Variety. Retrieved November 4, 2018.
  13. ↑ Bartram, Naomi (December 1, 2018). "Ariana Grande and Pete Davidson: a timeline of their relationship". Cosmopolitan. Retrieved January 23, 2019.
  14. 1 2 McDermott, Maeve (November 4, 2018). "Ariana Grande says her exes heard 'Thank U, Next' before its release". USA Today. Retrieved November 7, 2018.
  15. ↑ Ivie, Devon (November 3, 2018). "Ariana Grande Is Hyping Up Her Next Album, Thank U, Next". Vulture. Retrieved November 4, 2018.
  16. ↑ Kreps, Daniel (November 7, 2018). "See Ariana Grande Debut Live 'Thank U, Next' on 'Ellen'". Rolling Stone. Retrieved January 13, 2019.
  17. ↑ Squires, Bethy (January 10, 2019). "Ariana Grande's Next Single Will Be About That Time She Got Drunk and Bought All Her Friends Rings". Vulture. Retrieved January 13, 2019.
  18. ↑ Aniftos, Rania (December 11, 2018). "Ariana Grande Drops Countdown For Her Next Single, 'Imagine'". Billboard. Retrieved December 12, 2018.
  19. ↑ "Ariana Grande Got Into the Christmas Spirit for Her TV Debut Performance of 'Imagine': Watch". Billboard. December 19, 2018. Retrieved December 22, 2018.
  20. ↑ "thank u, next by Ariana Grande Reviews". AnyDecentMusic?. Retrieved February 11, 2019.
  21. 1 2 "Reviews for thank u, next by Ariana Grande". Metacritic. Retrieved February 11, 2019.
  22. ↑ Zaleski, Annie (February 11, 2019). "Ariana Grande has no fucks to spare on the thrilling Thank U, Next". The A.V. Club. Retrieved February 12, 2019.
  23. ↑ Johnston, Maura (February 11, 2019). "Ariana Grande reminds listeners who's in charge on intimate thank u, next: EW review". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved February 11, 2019.
  24. ↑ Murphy, Sarah. "Ariana Grande – thank u, next". Exclaim!. Retrieved February 9, 2019.
  25. 1 2 Cragg, Michael (February 8, 2019). "Ariana Grande: Thank U, Next review – a break-up album of wit and wonder". The Guardian. Retrieved February 8, 2019.
  26. 1 2 Brown, Helen (February 8, 2019). "Ariana Grande, thank u next review: Pop star owns her contradictions and embraces her inner mean girl". The Independent. Retrieved February 8, 2019.
  27. ↑ Daly, Rhian (February 12, 2019). "Ariana Grande – 'Thank U, Next' review". NME. Retrieved February 12, 2019.
  28. ↑ "Ariana Grande: thank u, next". Pitchfork. Retrieved February 11, 2019.
  29. ↑ Sheffield, Rob (February 12, 2019). "Review: Ariana Grande Moves on in Spectacular Style With 'Thank U, Next'". Rolling Stone. Retrieved February 12, 2019.
  30. ↑ White, Adam (February 8, 2019). "Ariana Grande, Thank U, Next review: presenting the pop queen at her most unashamedly honest". The Telegraph. Retrieved February 11, 2019.
  31. ↑ Horton, Ross (February 8, 2019). "Ariana Grande's Thank U, Next is her greatest record yet". The Line of Best Fit. Retrieved February 8, 2019.
  32. ↑ Wood, Mikael (February 8, 2019). "Review: Ariana Grande's 'Thank U, Next' swagger upstages Grammys drama". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved February 8, 2019.
  33. ↑ Cinquemani, Sal (February 8, 2019). "Review: Ariana Grande Embraces Her Flaws on Thank U, Next". Slant Magazine. Retrieved February 8, 2019.
  34. 1 2 "thank u, next by Ariana Grande on Apple Music". Apple Music. February 8, 2019. Retrieved January 25, 2019.
  35. ↑ "Why Everyone Thinks Ariana Grande's Song "Ghostin" Is About Mac Miller". Vogue. February 8, 2019. Retrieved February 8, 2019.
  36. ↑ "Is Ariana Grande's new song 'Ghostin' about grieving for Mac Miller while she was with Pete Davidson?". Cosmopolitan. February 8, 2019. Retrieved February 8, 2019.
  37. ↑ "Ariana Grande Grieves Mac Miller's Death in Her Heartbreaking Song "Ghostin"". PopSugar. February 8, 2019. Retrieved February 8, 2019.
  38. ↑ "Try the TIDAL Web Player". listen.tidal.com. Retrieved February 8, 2019.
  39. ↑ "Shangela 'Thrilled' to Be on Ariana Grande's 'Thank U, Next' Album: 'You Gotta Be Kidding'". February 8, 2019.
  40. ↑ "ARIA Australian Top 50 Albums". Australian Recording Industry Association. February 18, 2019. Retrieved February 16, 2019.
  41. ↑ "Ultratop.be – Ariana Grande – Thank U, Next" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved February 16, 2019.
  42. ↑ "Ultratop.be – Ariana Grande – Thank U, Next" (in French). Hung Medien. Retrieved February 16, 2019.
  43. ↑ "Dutchcharts.nl – Ariana Grande – Thank U, Next" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved February 16, 2019.
  44. ↑ "Offiziellecharts.de – Ariana Grande – Thank U, Next" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved February 15, 2019.
  45. ↑ "Irish Albums Chart: 15 February 2019". Irish Recorded Music Association. Retrieved February 16, 2019.
  46. ↑ "Album – Classifica settimanale WK 7 (dal 08.02.2019 al 14.02.2019)" (in Italian). Federazione Industria Musicale Italiana. Retrieved February 16, 2019.
  47. ↑ "Oricon Top 50 Albums: 2019-02-18" (in Japanese). Oricon. Retrieved February 13, 2019.
  48. ↑ "Billboard Japan Hot Albums: 2019/02/18 付け". Billboard Japan. Retrieved February 13, 2019.
  49. ↑ "NZ Top 40 Albums Chart". Recorded Music NZ. February 18, 2019. Retrieved February 15, 2019.
  50. ↑ "VG-lista – Topp 40 Album uke 7, 2019". VG-lista. Retrieved February 16, 2019.
  51. ↑ "Official Scottish Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved February 16, 2019.
  52. ↑ "Sverigetopplistan – Sveriges Officiella Topplista". Sverigetopplistan. Retrieved February 16, 2019. Click on "Veckans albumlista".
  53. ↑ "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved February 16, 2019.
  54. ↑ "thank u, next cd + digital album". Ariana Grande. January 25, 2019. Retrieved January 5, 2019.
  55. ↑ "thank u, next cassette + digital album". Ariana Grande. January 25, 2019. Retrieved January 5, 2019.
  56. ↑ "thank u, next vinyl + digital album". Ariana Grande. January 25, 2019. Retrieved January 5, 2019.
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