Counted as the most anticipated music release so far in 2019, Ariana Grande has officially dropped her 5th studio album thank u, next, which from the very first listen, one can’t deny it’s emotional complexity, bold voice, and rare front to back glory.

Following the release of her critically acclaimed album Sweetner, a whirlwind of media personal invasion, 3 dropped singles, and the announcement of Grande securing a headlining performance at Coachella, Ariana lands on her feet with 12 tracks that loudly proclaim exactly what’s she is feeling and not what the media or fans may have expected from her.

The album lights an emotional flame with “NASA” followed by sway inducing tracks like “bloodline”, “fake smile”, and “make up”. A standout track from this body of work “fake smile”, Grande openly admits that she’s read every single thing anyone has ever said about her and she’s over faking that she’s alright crooning the forward chorus “fuck a fake smile“. As part of the album drop, Ariana surprised us with one more video for the closing track “break up with your girlfriend, i’m bored”. It’s a total bop that allows Grande to be in true form reshaping a narrative that had previously been imposed onto her.

All hype aside, Ariana Grande is a human who has emotional baggage like the rest of us and she’s fearlessly putting it on blast. She’s revealing herself to the world in a way that no other musician in the industry is and it’s beyond refreshing. It’s focused. It’s potent. It’s alive. And, it’s fucking real. It’s beyond content… it’s her truth. Her name is Ari, and this album’s a smash.

Stream thank, u next and watch the video for “break up with your girlfriend, i’m bored” below: