On Friday, Oct.30, Ariana Grande shared her latest musical offering with the world: her sixth studio album Positions. I sat with the album for a week, playing it in the shower, during my morning sun salutations, in the kitchen making an air fryer grilled cheese and listened to it at the start and end of each day. To fully understand the music, I needed to position myself in various aspects of my day to gain an understanding of the intentions and purpose of her latest masterpiece. Positions is the light at the end of the tunnel, an embodiment of positivity and love manifested in all aspects of Ariana’s life — a representation of balance and ultimately healing.
Ariana is an artist that draws from her life experiences, as made clear in previous projects Sweetener and thank u, next. Each of these projects allowed her to face pain head-on after experiencing a deadly terrorist attack at her concert in 2017, the death of ex-boyfriend, rapper Mac Miller due to accidental overdose, and her public breakup with then-fiancé Pete Davidson.
Ariana contemplated whether to release such an upbeat project in a time where the world was dealing with so much from the pandemic, racial injustice and various other tragedies.
“I was like, ‘You know what, everyone is aware of what’s happening—I’m aware of what’s happening,’” Ariana said in the interview. “—And this is also my job at the end of the day. I know that in my heart this will make a lot of people feel something good.'”
Featuring 14 tracks of that “goodness,” the album kicks things off with “shut up,” sticking to the on-brand theatrical instrumental introduction. Orchestra style violins drew me in as Ariana addressed critics in the chorus:
Up next with the mathematical breakdown of a well known sexual position reference, Ariana gets candid in “34+35,” staying up all night with her lover and her sexual desires all over an uptempo pop beat with a bit of down step.
Sitting in third, we get the first collaboration, “motive,” featuring Doja Cat, a flirty dance club record perfect for a night out or dancing crazily in your bedroom alone; I opted for the latter.
On the next track, “just like magic,” I immediately felt the power of positive manifestation and reassuring myself as Ariana sings, “Wake up in my bed, I just wanna have a good day,” something I feel daily living with anxiety, making it one of the most robust offerings on the project. Ariana sings about manifestation and the joys of her life, playing off the positivity she wanted to share with fans. The vibe is reminiscent of the braggadocious “7 rings” from thank u, next and the positive energy of the Sweetener title track. But what truly brings this record together is the production from writer and producer TBHits, a long time collaborator since Ariana’s debut album, Yours Truly. The beat compliments Ariana’s vocals and the space she lives in of pop and R&B influence.
This pocket of pop and R&B is what drew me to her music so many years ago. Usually, when artists try to experiment and mix genres it can sound terrible but Ariana has cracked the formula so well I don’t believe there’s one inherently bad song in her discography; “just like magic” is the embodiment of that formula.
On “off the table,” Ariana taps The Weeknd for a duet about relationship baggage and unrequited love. The two singers ironically put their baggage on the table and contemplate if a relationship is still possible or is it off the table now.
“My Hair” is a smooth but flirty track referencing the well-known fact that she wears hair extensions as a result of damaging her hair from constant bleaching and red hair dye during her time on Nickelodeon as the character Cat Valentine. Because she wears extensions, she doesn’t usually let people touch her hair, but for this intimate moment with her lover, she wants them to rub their fingers through her hair.
The last artist team-up on Positions is “safety net,” featuring Ty Dolla $ign. The track is a melodic, honest conversation between the two about falling in love and letting your guard down without a safety net. It’s aware of the joys of love but also the flipside of experiencing fear of being hurt again, even though you’ve reached a point of healing. Ariana’s very public trauma throughout her career is clear in the song. I’ve struggled with healing and learning to love after leaving toxic and abusive relationships and it’s a process to heal and to convince yourself you deserve to be loved just like everyone else. There’s more than pain in this life even when it seems like that’s all the world has to offer. I thought about this as I listened to Ariana be transparent on this song about her life’s ups and downs and hesitation to let herself be happy; to be loved.
The project features tracks that continue to play on the sensual relations with a lover such as “six thirty,” “nasty,” “west side,” and “love language.” Onto the final stretch of the album, we hear the lead single “Positions.” The song is about finding a love that’s worth being everything for someone, from friend to romantic partner, while playing on the sexual innuendos of positions. The track debuted at No. 1 on Billboard Hot 100 this week.
“Obvious” is up next and a record I believe fans of Ariana’s more vocal focused records will enjoy. But the top tier offering goes to the final track, “pov.” The song starts as an angelic harp as Ariana glides in with falsetto vocals. The song structure is perfect for the context, which touches on loving yourself from the point of view of someone who loves you unconditionally. This record is pure and will trigger emotion; after every listen, I’ve found myself in tears. It’s the conclusion that lets Ariana know she is deserving of love; that I too was deserving of love and genuine happiness.
Since it’s release, Positions has received some mixed reviews as the album wasn’t a traditional pop genre project and leaned into R&B — despite this being Ariana’s approach to merge the two quite often throughout her discography. But I believe this is one of Ariana’s best albums. Positions is the culmination of every album up until now. You can hear each one in this project; it’s the compilation of Ariana’s musical style. I admit, I didn’t know what to expect after the success of thank u, next. Ultimately Positions is more than I could have imagined. It has immense replay value and something for any Ariana Grande fan to appreciate her artistry.
Positions is available everywhere for streaming and purchase.
