American superstar Ariana Grande has released her eighth studio album, Petal, and plans to take a break from music after her world tour finishes in London next month.
Last weekend, the 33-year-old Florida-born singer announced she was pulling out of next year's London stage production of the Stephen Sondheim musical Sunday In The Park With George. Grande said she is exhausted by the "endless, ongoing" scrutiny and concern over her slender physique since releasing her first album, Yours Truly, as a 20-year-old wannabe in 2013.
Her disenchantment spills over into her new Babydoll label release, which Grande described as her "experimental" album coming from a place of "unfiltered rage". Reviewer Adrian Thrills awarded the bruised but unbowed album three out of five stars, noting it is a marked upgrade on her underwhelming 2024 album Eternal Sunshine, which lacked purpose and received three additional versions with fresh material. However, Thrills said Petal does not rank alongside her 2018 masterpiece, Sweetener.
Collaborations and pop sound
The track Kiss Me features clattering electronic beats and female harmonies behind her effortless, featherlight voice. Grande sings, "You know I don't believe I belong, give me something to love." Thrills wrote it is unclear whether she is singing about a wayward lover or her bittersweet relationship with fame.
Swedish super-producers Ilya Salmanzadeh and Max Martin supplied heavy basslines and some distorted electronics for the album. Thrills noted the sweetness of Grande's vocal delivery ensures there is still plenty for fans of traditional pop.
The reviewer noted her unfiltered rage never really bursts forth, with Grande seemingly unwilling to fully deploy her powerful, four-octave range. For such a fabulous singer, she frustratingly holds back.
The defiant singer's exhaustion from public scrutiny and her planned break are evident throughout the album.
There is dark symbolism in Petal as she retreats from the spotlight over public scrutiny.
Relationship themes and anthems
On the breathless R&B ballad Hate That I Made You Love Me, Grande addresses overzealous fans and the pressures faced by women in the spotlight. She admits, "Something inside is dancing with fire. I hate that I made you love me, 'cause I barely tried."
The album also explores romance, including the giddy love song Stay and the gentle innuendo of Big Feelings. On Oh Well, she delivers a blunt message to exes, singing, "The bad guys all go to hell, good things can replace dysfunction."
The album still finishes strongly with Bad Thing (Bunny Hop), a catchy synth-pop anthem where Grande suggests a long-forgotten ex-boyfriend was the one who got away. She muses, "It's silly, but I wonder if you feel how I feel." Thrills named Never Get Over Me as the best song on the album, describing it as steeped in the swing and swagger of 1990s R&B.
Despite the bruises, Grande asserts she is not asking for our sympathy. On the title track, she asserts, "This is not a cry for help," and, "I don't need someone to save me, 'cause this music and I will never die."
Grande starts a residency at The O2, London, on August 15, with tickets available at axs.com.
