Ariana Grande announces surprise new album dropping this month

Ariana Grande's debut album 'Yours Truly' was released in September 2013, peaking at Number 1 in the US and Number 7 in the UK. The track listing of the album is: 'Honeymoon Avenue', 'Baby I', 'Right There' (featuring Big Sean), 'Tattooed Heart', 'Lovin' It', 'Piano', 'Daydreamin'', 'The Way' (featuring Mac Miller), 'You'll Never Know', 'Almost Is Never Enough' (with Nathan Sykes), 'Popular Song' (with Mika) and 'Better Left Unsaid'.Of the album, Ariana told SheKnows, "They can expect a lot of honesty. It's like a direct... you know, it's like it used to be pages from my diary, instead of keeping diary, I would write songs about what was happening in my life. So it's really personal. It's a Motown throwback and pop at the same time, so it's '50s and '60s inspiration mixed with today."

Her follow-up 'My Everything' was released in August 2014, again peaking at Number 1 in the US and this time going to Number 3 in the UK. The track listing of the albums is: 'Intro', 'Problem' (featuring Iggy Azalea), 'One Last Time', 'Why Try', 'Break Free' (featuring Zedd), 'Best Mistake' (featuring Big Sean), 'Be My Baby' (featuring Cashmere Cat), 'Break Your Heart Right Back' (featuring Childish Gambino), 'Love Me Harder' (with The Weeknd), 'Just a Little Bit of Your Heart' (written by Harry Styles), 'Hands on Me' (featuring A$AP Ferg) and 'My Everything'. The deluxe version also included 'Bang Bang' featuring Jessie J and Nicki Minaj.She told Rolling Stone of the record, "It's an album that I want to do a little bit different. I don't want it to sound like an extension of Yours Truly. I want it to sound like an evolution. I want to explore more sounds and experiment a little bit. I have a bunch of ideas I'm very excited about and a lot of stuff cooking."

Ari's third album was released in May 2016, once again going to Number 1 in the US, and this time, also scoring the top spot in the UK. The track listing is: 'Moonlight', 'Dangerous Woman', 'Be Alright', 'Into You', 'Side to Side' (featuring Nicki Minaj), 'Let Me Love You' (featuring Lil Wayne), 'Greedy', 'Leave Me Lonely' (featuring Macy Gray), 'Everyday' (featuring Future), 'Bad Decisions' and 'Thinking Bout You'.The album was nearly titled 'Moonlight', and Ariana explained the decision to change it, "'Moonlight' is a lovely song, and it's a lovely title. It's really romantic, and it definitely ties together the old music and the new music, but 'Dangerous Woman' is a lot stronger. To me, a dangerous woman is someone who's not afraid to take a stand, be herself and to be honest."

Ariana's fourth album 'Sweetener' was released in August 2018, topping the charts in 27 countries including the UK and US. The track listing is: 'Raindrops (An Angel Cried)', 'Blazed' (featuring Pharrell Williams), 'The Light Is Coming' (featuring Nicki Minaj), 'R.E.M.', 'God Is a Woman', 'Sweetener', 'Successful', 'Everytime', 'Breathin', 'No Tears Left to Cry', 'Borderline' (featuring Missy Elliott), 'Better Off', 'Goodnight n Go', 'Pete Davidson' and 'Get Well Soon'.'Sweetener' was Ariana's first record since the devastating attack in Manchester. Many fans and non-fans around the world praised her for her approach to the album - ensuring that what happened was in the bones of the record, but that it wasn't defining her.

Less than six months after the release of 'Sweetener', Ari released 'thank u, next'. It went to Number 1 in both the UK and the US, and the track list is: 'Imagine', 'Needy', 'NASA', 'Bloodline', 'Fake Smile', 'Bad Idea', 'Make Up', 'Ghostin', 'In My Head', '7 Rings', 'Thank U, Next', 'Break Up with Your Girlfriend, I'm Bored'.The title track was hugely popular, partly thanks to the incredible music video in which Ari paid homage to many Noughties chick flicks. It also dealt with the death of her ex-boyfriend, Mac Miller, and her split from ex-fiancé Pete Davidson. Ariana promoted both 'Sweetener' and 'thank u, next' on her 'Sweetener World Tour' in 2019.She said of the album to Billboard, "I feel like there are certain standards that pop women are held to that men aren't. We have to do the teaser before the single, then do the single, and wait to do the pre-order, and radio has to impact before the video, and we have to do the discount on this day, and all this, and it's just like, 'Bruh, I just want to talk to my fans and sing and write music and drop it the way these boys do. Why do they get to make records like that and I don't?' So I do and I did and I am, and I will continue to."

Ariana announced in mid-October that her sixth album would dropping that month, casually writing on Twitter, 'i can't wait to give u my album this month.' She then released 'positions' on Friday 30th October 2020, made up of the tracklist: 'shut up', '34+35', 'motive' feat. Doja Cat, 'just like magic', 'off the table' feat. The Weeknd, 'six thirty', 'safety net' feat. Ty Dolla $ign, 'my hair', 'nasty', 'west side', 'love language', 'positions', 'obvious', 'pov'.The record hit the top spot in both the UK and US album charts, and was in the Top 3 positions in 17 other countries. So far, it's been certified Gold in the UK by the BPI and Platinum in the US by the RIAA.