Ariana Grande released her new album, Positions, on October 30th and quite literally saved 2020!
Ariana has always been honest and intimate in her albums, but this one hits different. Positions is a string-led album where Ariana opens up about her new love life. It exemplifies how much she’s in love but how scared she is of it. It’s all about healing and finding inner peace. It’s finding who or what has hurt you and turning it into something you can learn and grow from. This album takes you inside Ariana’s mind and to an atmosphere surrounded by the people she loves the most.
Ariana is definitely showing a side we’ve never seen before in previous albums. She takes us into the heart of her bedroom and blows us all away again with her powerhouse voice. Normally I’d start with the beginning of the album, but it’s the final song on the album that really hooked me. “Pov” is a song everyone needs to hear and internalize. This song is all about learning to love yourself the way other people do. It’s about seeing yourself from the perspective of others. This is something we as humans struggle with, trying to understand why people love us and how people see us, so this is a song to help you understand that just a little more.
In Ariana’s previous album, Thank u Next, you can hear the hurt in her voice. One of the most powerful things about Positions is the parallels from Thank u Next. In her song “thank u you next”, she repeatedly says “I’m so f***ing grateful for my ex” whereas in “pov”, she sings “learning to be grateful for myself.” In her song “ghostin” she cries out, “I’m a girl with a whole lotta baggage,” and in “pov” again she says “all my baggage fading safely.” These parallels just go to show the growth Ariana has undergone, and I think that’s the whole message behind this album. In order to grow, you have to hurt.
One of the most exciting things about this new album is the collaborators involved in it. We haven’t seen Ariana duet with anyone since Sweetener, and in this album, we were lucky and got Doja Cat, The Weeknd, and Ty Dolla $ign. They all are featured on amazing bops that really add to the meaning of this album. Ty Dolla $ign is featured in “safety net.” This song is about learning to open your heart up again even after all the heartbreak and pain you’ve encountered. We’ve definitely seen Ariana encounter plenty of pain and heartbreak, but with this song, she shows that it’s okay to be vulnerable again.
The Weeknd is a friendly face when it comes to Ariana. The Weeknd was featured in her previous record “Love Me Harder”, and now he’s back for another banger. “Off the table” provides two perspectives. Ariana sings about uncertainty when it comes to love and relationships, where The Weeknd sings about pursuing her despite all of the uncertainty. It’s one of the most talked-about songs on the album, and it’s definitely worth a listen! The final collaborator, Doja Cat creates an absolute banger with Ariana. “Motive” seems to be a song about the guessing game of what people want in love. It’s one of the catchiest songs on the album and definitely gets you out of your seat.
The rest of the songs on the album including “shut up”, “34+35”, “just like magic”, “six thirty”, “my hair”, “nasty”, “west side”, “love language”, “positions” and “obvious” take us through Ariana’s journey through love and how she grew through all of the pain she underwent. This album is something we have never seen from Ariana, but it’s clearly something we’ve all needed from her. Ariana never disappoints and this album truly proves that. So, whenever you’re scared of love, excited for love, or in love, this album is perfect for you.
All hail queen Ariana Grande!