A little over five months after releasing her last album,
Ariana Grande has confirmed that her newest project is on the way.
The “No Tears Left to Cry” singer shared the exciting news on Tuesday by posting a photo of the upcoming track list on her Instagram. Keeping things short and simple, Grande, 25, captioned the black-and-white image with the album’s release date set as Feb. 8.
The album, which will be titled “thank u, next”, features 12 new songs and includes the three that Grande has already released — “imagine,” “thank u, next,” and “7 rings.”
It will also be the Grammy nominee’s fifth studio album, coming on the heels of Sweetener, which was released in August. Grande will likely perform both albums on her Sweetener four-month world tour, which kicks off on March 18, 2019.
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Many of Grande’s songs on the new album have been fueled by her difficult year, which included the death of ex-boyfriend Mac Miller and her whirlwind romance and split from comedian Pete Davidson.
Following the devastating chain of events this past fall, Grande threw herself into work, telling one fan that relying on music “fixes everything.“
The singer first dropped “thank u, next” in November. The upbeat breakup anthem, which she referred to as an “acceptance” song after having learned from her past relationships, became Grande’s first track to top the Hot 100 chart, where it remained No. 1 for seven weeks.
The song found Grande reviewing her past romances with dancer Ricky Alvarez, rapper Big Sean, Miller, and Davidson. In the lyrics, she praises all of them for helping fuel her personal growth.
She kept that theme going with “imagine,” which she dropped less than a month later in December.
The R&B pop ballad — which featured the singer showing off her impressive range — touched upon her reflections in regards to her “failed yet important beautiful relationships.”
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Fans quickly picked up on the song’s references, which seemingly recalled her relationship with Miller.
“For those of you asking about imagine: I would say if ‘thank u, next’ = acceptance… ‘imagine’ = denial. hope that makes sense,” she explained on her Instagram Stories. “Kind of like… pretending it never ended. denial. but I look forward to you hearing it and having your own experience with it. you may take away something totally different and specific to your life! love u.”
And most recently, Grande released the latest song off the album called “7 rings” last Friday.
The R&B track was heavily inspired by “My Favorite Things” from The Sound of Music and it speaks to Grande’s strong friendships and a new sense of independence following her emotional year.
“Wearing a ring but ain’t gon’ be no missus /Bought matching diamonds for six of my bitches, I’d rather spoil all my friends with my riches/Think retail therapy my new addiction,” Grande sings in the empowerment anthem, before affirming, “I see it, I like it, I want it, I got it.”
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She even makes a nod to her tough year, singing, “Been through some bad s—/I should be a sad bitch/Who would’ve thought it’d turn me to a savage/Rather be tied up with gauze and not strings/Write my own checks like I write what I sing.”
The singer previously revealed in a tweet that the “7 Rings” belonged to her best pals, Victoria Monét, Tayla Parx, Courtney Chipolone, Njozma, Alexa Luria, and Kaydence, who were all featured in the music video.
She also explained that her mother Joan Grande and her Nonna Marjorie Grande also own rings, making the total nine — “but they got theirs after [the] song was done,” Grande said.
