Just last month, pop sensation Ariana Grande made history with her second studio album My Everything, becoming the first woman in history and the first artist since Michael Jackson to have three singles in the Top 6 at one time. My Everything marks a stylistic change from Grande’s debut album Yours Truly, but critics and fans alike agree that this change is for the better. When Grande first rose to fame last March in a collaboration with Pittsburgh-born rapper Mac Miller, her voice, her whistle tones, and the style of her music were criticized and heavily compared to ’90s pop queen Mariah Carey. With My Everything, Grande establishes herself as not just MC 2.0, she proves that she is completely her own artist. She lends her incredibly talented vocal prowess to fifteen songs, all of which have very different moods. Here’s a track-by-track breakdown of My Everything:
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“Intro” – Grande opens the album with a 1:20 intro full of beautiful harmonies and few lyrics. The intro sets a great tone for the rest of the album and also gives Grande a chance to show off some of her vocal riffs and runs.
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“Problem” featuring Iggy Azalea – “Problem” was Grande’s first single from the album. It was nominated for 4 MTV Video Music Awards (winning Best Pop Video), won the award for Choice Single: Female Artist at the Teen Choice Awards, and won Best Song at the MTV European Music Awards. This catchy pop song is Grande’s highest charting single to date, and features the popular Australian rapper Iggy Azalea.
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“One Last Time” – An upbeat pop song full of vocal power, this song tells the story of wanting an old flame back just “One Last Time.” Very relatable and very catchy, the song features Grande’s songwriting genius as well as her amazing voice.
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“Why Try” – Co-written and co-produced by Ryan Tedder, “Why Try” is honestly somewhat forgettable compared to the rest of the songs on the album, but it is still worth a listen and is by no means a bad song. While the verses aren’t spectacular, the chorus saves the song with some power belting and relatable lyrics.
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“Break Free” featuring Zedd – Grande’s second single from the album, “Break Free” features Russian-German music producer Zedd and marks Grande’s first experiment with EDM music, one which is very successful. Honestly, her voice fits the genre extremely well, and in my opinion, she should release a lot more songs in the future in the same style as “Break Free.”
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“Best Mistake” featuring Big Sean – My personal favorite on the album, “Best Mistake” features rapper and also boyfriend Big Sean. Grande uses her lower register on this gloomy ballad, which features the line “You’re the best mistake I ever made,” and Big Sean provides a verse in which he also reflects on past failed relationships.
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“Be My Baby” featuring Cashmere Cat – If one song on “My Everything” feels similar to “Yours Truly,” it’s definitely this one. Featuring Norwegian music producer Cashmere Cat, Grande sings about the feelings of a crush and wanting to just be with someone when there is obvious tension and compatibility there. The song feels very ’90s, and has also evoked comparisons to Mariah Carey, but ain’t nothin’ wrong with that.
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“Break Your Heart Right Back” featuring Childish Gambino – “Break Your Heart Right Back” tells the story of an ex-boyfriend of Grande’s who left her for another man. It samples Diana Ross’s classic 1980 single “I’m Coming Out” and explores how this romance-gone-wrong affected Grande in the long run. The song itself is very catchy, as is Childish Gambino’s rap. It definitely holds a spot in my top three songs on the album.
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“Love Me Harder” with The Weeknd – Grande’s third single from the album, you may have heard “Love Me Harder” frequenting the radio recently. Released as a joint collaboration between Grande and Canadian musician The Weeknd, who lends his vocals to the song’s second verse, the song is described as ‘PBR&B,’ denoting yet another artistic venture as far as genre, but definitely successful again. “Love Me Harder” proves the versatility of Grande’s voice and style.
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“Just a Little Bit of Your Heart” – One of two emotional love ballads on the album, “Just a Little Bit of Your Heart” was co-written by Harry Styles of One Direction. Grande’s ability to evoke emotion in her listeners and her incredible whistle tones are both utilized in this love song.
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“Hands on Me” featuring A$AP Ferg – Marking a more mature side of the album and of Grande’s public image, “Hands on Me” features American rapper A$AP Ferg and is essentially all about sexual desire. It also shows Grande’s desire to declare herself as an adult and get out of the Nickelodeon phase. I really love this song, which was co-written by legendary music producer Rodney Jerkins.
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“My Everything” – The title song of Grande’s sophomore album, “My Everything” is also an emotional love ballad. It features melodic patterns from the album’s intro and also concludes the standard edition of the album on a very high note. I think just about everybody can relate to the sweet and adoring lyrics of the song.
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“Bang Bang” with Jessie J and Nicki Minaj – Released as a single from Jessie J’s new album “Sweet Talker,” this song opens the bonus edition of the album. If I had to describe it using three words? “Lady Marmalade 2.0” – this song is that good. Jessie J and Grande provide their powerful belts and harmonizing capabilities for the verses, while Minaj again proves herself to be the reigining Queen of Rap. While slightly repetitive, “Bang Bang” is extremely catchy and is a must-listen for anyone.
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“Only 1” – Another bonus track, “Only 1” is a very mature composition with another breathtaking chorus. In my opinion, it is hard to understand how this jazzy song did not make the standard edition of the album, as Grande’s vocal runs on this song never fail to disappoint. It is definitely one of the album’s best and establishes Grande as more than just another Mariah.
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“You Don’t Know Me” – The final song of the album’s bonus edition, “You Don’t Know Me” was co-written by Grande herself and may serve as a message to the paparazzi. Some have suggested the song is about social media mogul and blogger Perez Hilton, who seems to have taken some serious beef with Grande for no apparent reason. In any case, the song showcases Grande’s vocals and is a perfect note to end “My Everything” on.
In short, 10/10, would recommend to anybody.