Ariana Grande's Next Album Is the Product of "Feminine Energy and Champagne," So Cheers to That
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Despite casually releasing a record-breaking music video for a surprise song fans did not see coming, Ariana Grande said she's mostly running on pink champagne these days. As Billboard's 2018 Woman of the Year, the singer recently spoke with the magazine about the underlying sadness behind her upcoming album — her second in one year — and how she's "lucky and unlucky at the same time."
On the fact that she's preparing to release another album months after her well-received Sweetener, Grande said, "I don't want to do what people tell me to do, I don't want to conform to the pop-star agenda. I want to do it on my own terms from now on." Adding, "If I want to tour two albums at once, I'm going to tour two albums at once. If I want to drop a third album while I'm on tour [in 2019], I'll do that too! Please."
What's more, a lot has happened since Sweetener, including her breakup with Pete Davidson and the death of her ex-boyfriend Mac Miller. As a result, Grande said her next album is "not particularly uplifting," and the product of "feminine energy and champagne and music and laughter and crying." Grande added, "A lot of it sounds really upbeat, but it's actually a super sad chapter."
"It's me and my besties tipsy off champagne — and me with a broken heart — just letting it out and having fun."
The instantly iconic "Thank U, Next" was the first song to be released off the upcoming album and also serves as its title. Grande said she loves the breakup track more than any other song she's released. "I can't believe it but, like, so can. It's me and my besties tipsy off champagne — and me with a broken heart — just letting it out and having fun."
Her next single will likely be "7 Rings," about a "challenging Fall day in New York," which led to her buying matching engagement rings with her friends. "You know how when you're waiting at Tiffany's they give you lots of champagne? They got us very tipsy, so we bought seven engagement rings, and when I got back to the studio I gave everybody a friendship ring," Grande said. "That's why we have these, and that's where the song idea came from."