petal by Ariana Grande: Album Review

With constant comparisons to Mariah Carey, Ariana Grande might have just taken to the flip side.

We are not looking at sugar-free saccharine pop anthems alone anymore. After her blossoming Hollywood career and definitive pop tracks that defined her life as a Barbie-prototype singer, she chooses to be a flower of a darker hue. This is her latest album, petal. 

The background

Many forget, but Grande has had more than just her nepotistic background to constantly be attributed to. In the recent R&B playground, she is one of the only musicians who can access four octaves whenever she wishes to do so. This, including her whistle harmonies, (which even Mariah has, has been featured on several of her viral YouTube covers as well. Always on screen, there’s never actually been a time when she’s been able to hide from the public eye. 

Her past is not without tragedy, including the horrific Manchester Arena bombing that took place in 2017 and losing her partner Mac Miller the next year. Ariana Grande never really got to process these dark moments privately, and everyone expects musicians to process their grief through art. That’s what we eventually received. The entire album “thank u, next” was extremely emotional and recorded just in one month. 

It would be obvious that she would return to the producers and co-songwriters who have taken her to this level time and again. Ilya Salmanzadeh and virtuoso Max Martin collaborate with Ariana to make music that suits her current state of mind. She is relentlessly open about her parasocial relationship with her fans, the press, and the constant criticism that comes with everything she does. 

Returning to matter

The swinging, crisp percussions of the opening single “kiss me” contrast with Grande’s light vocals. Her movement using the lyrics towards the chorus and even the verse section is reminiscent of R&B legends while still having her own recognisable motifs. I have no commentary on the production, as Max Martin outdoes himself to make sure all the details are heard while explicitly realising most people listen to music on streaming services. The mids are accented, the treble is juiced up, and unfortunately for me, the bass continues to dominate a warm frequency. 

The next song is “hate that i made you love me”, easily one of the more underrated lyrical journeys on this album. 

I’ve held your projections when you’ve felt so insecure

Tell me, why is it this way?

Why you so hate to see women endure?

Is it really my fault you all gave me your hearts on your own accord?

I don’t really think so

Lyrical pushes

It is possible that some of this so-called audacity comes as Ariana Grande departs from the traditional contract with Republic Records. Like Taylor Swift and so many more pop artists that followed, Grande has her own subdivision for owning her masters under BabyDoll Music. It’s part of change that was necessary and reflects the time we live in much better. It’ll never look like independent music ever, but can depict artists closer to music that they’d want to make. 

You hear the title song as the next track on the album. This is the song that fans have compared to “7 Rings” from “thank u, next”. You can clearly hear her be more angry, passionate, and truly understanding of the discourse around her, her voice, and people prodding into her private life. The smile on the album cover is deceptively simple. She’s smiling for closure, for almost being able to block out everything that is noise. Ariana Grande has a fresh new chapter in her life. 

Lashing out, musically

Yet this isn’t a complete reset button either. There are songs like “stay” which are reminiscent of Grande’s tell-all style of emotional indie with certain core emotions. You are looking at R&B mastery when she sings on “big feelings”. The instrumental sections are kept minimal and stylish and embellish her vocals ever so often. There is a departure from sharper, written lines in her previous tracks when it comes to catchy choruses like this. The explicit vocal runs are something Ariana Grande’s fans really look forward to. It’s almost like in a moment of honesty no other fitting word exists. 

Though forgettable tracks exist, there are songs like “like I do” in which Ariana Grande is open to experimenting. She embraces all the fractures and fissures that have been left behind and uses them like a journal. While speaking to Zane Lowe from Apple Music, Grande was extremely clear that she wants all her anger and unresolved rage to come out through this album. I would say that she has done so successfully and in moments might have also been blinded by what she wants to put out in her music. 

In her element

I wouldn’t call the closing of this album very strong, but there are many songs in which Grande is at her peak. She sings extremely well and has used the peak of her powers to have an extraordinary production team. Post-her success from Wicked as the number one highest-grossing Broadway-themed show ever, she is off to make bigger steps. The inspiration for petal was her seeing a flower grow through a crack in concrete. Without doubt she has persevered. 

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Also read: Long Queues, Loud Cheers, and Plini at His Absolute Best

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