Sweetener

Sweetener
Studio album by Ariana Grande
Publication (s)	17th August 2018
Label (s)	Republic Records
Format (s)	CD, download
Genre (s)	Pop , Contemporary R&B
Title (number)	15th
running time	47:25
occupation	Ariana Grande: vocals
production	Pharrell Williams , Max Martin , ILYA , Hit-Boy , TBHits , Brian Malik Baptiste , Social House , Scootie
chronology Dangerous woman Sweetener Thank U, Next
Single releases April 20, 2018 no tears left to cry 13th July 2018 God is a woman 18th September 2018 breathin

Sweetener is the fourth studio album by the American singer Ariana Grande . It was released on August 17, 2018.

background

On May 22nd, 2017, during a concert by Ariana Grande in the Manchester Arena, a terrorist attack was carried out in which 23 people, including the bomber, were killed. This event left the singer in a particularly strong state of fear. Producer Pharrell Williams then advised her to work through the experience musically and promised her that she would heal it. This is how the song get well soon came about . Grande later testified that Williams was right and that the writing process helped her. Work on the album began a year before the stroke of fate and dragged on for two years. Sweetener is Grande's first release after the assassination, which has been widely discussed in the media. As a result, Ariana Grande and her music have received particularly high public attention, making it one of the most anticipated musical works of 2018.

Most of the album was produced by Williams and Max Martin with additional contributions from ILYA , Hit-Boy , TBHits , Brian Malik Baptiste , Social House and Scootie . Grande was involved as a songwriter on a total of ten titles; at seven, Williams acted as author or co-author. There are also Bob Gaudio , Maxine Ashley , Nicki Minaj , Max Martin, ILYA, Savan Kotecha , Rickard Göransson , Peter Svensson , Missy Elliott , Hit-Boy, TBHits, Kaydence , Brian Malik Baptiste, Imogen Heap , Victoria Monét , Scootie and Michael "Mikey" Foster co-wrote one or more tracks on the album. Pharrell Williams, Nicki Minaj and Missy Elliott appear as guest musicians .

Three singles were released from the album: no tears left to cry , God is a woman and breathin . The former was a great international success, topping the charts in Australia and Norway as well as in the USA, the United Kingdom , Canada , Germany , Austria , Switzerland , the Netherlands , Belgium , Sweden , Finland , Denmark , Italy and Spain and New Zealand made the top ten. Even God is a woman could in some, though fewer countries (including the homeland of the singer) end up in the top ten, breathin be sold only moderately. However, all three songs made it to the top ten in the UK. The album tracks the light is coming , sweetener , everytime , REM , goodnight n go and pete davidson, which were not published individually , also landed in the US charts, albeit in the lower half of the Hot 100.

Music and lyrics

Sweetener is a pop album with a few borrowings from the contemporary R&B genre. Grande gives clear and powerful vocals as well as rhythmically spoken passages. The first song is an acapellada performance; the last track on the album, get well soon , ends with 40 seconds of silence to run for 5 minutes and 22 seconds, a nod to the date of the Manchester attack. In terms of content, the album increasingly deals with the positive sides of life and how these ultimately trump the negative ones. Specific topics include the harsh criticism and condemnation that prevail in the current zeitgeist , unsuccessful early love relationships and female empowerment .

Cover design

The cover of Sweetener shows Ariana Grande from the shoulders upside down in front of a beige wall as she looks diagonally past the camera. She wears light gray colored hair and a sleeveless top. At the bottom of the picture is the album title in unusually small, black letters, which, unlike the motif, can be seen the right way round.

Track list

Sweetener
No.	title	length
1.	raindrops (an angel cried)	0:37
2.	blazed (feat. Pharrell Williams )	3:16
3.	the light is coming (feat. Nicki Minaj )	3:48
4th	SEM	4:05
5.	God is a woman	3:17
6th	sweetener	3:28
7th	successful	3:47
8th.	everytime	2:52
9.	breathin	3:18
10.	no tears left to cry	3:25
11.	borderline (feat. Missy Elliott )	2:57
12.	better off	2:51
13.	goodnight n go	3:09
14th	pete davidson	1:13
15th	get well soon	5:22

criticism

The English-language press almost unanimously received Sweetener very positively. The album was seen as a response to the attack in Manchester a year earlier and was praised for the fact that Grande had mastered the art of moving forward and allowing positive feelings after such a drastic experience. The singer broke with the expectations of a dark and ballad- rich album, which was necessary for her own coping. Nevertheless, the event has been subtly worked into the entire work, for example in several passages in the text which address the overcoming of motifs with bad connotations (for example darkness on the light is coming or salty taste on sweetener ). The album is also an important step in the artist's career on the way to growing up and finding an independent musical identity. Various experimental moments and influences of the contemporary R&B genre, which producer Pharrell Williams interspersed, would stand out from her previous work, which was solid, but not unmistakable. In the few reviews that were not completely enthusiastic, however, it was noted that precisely these songs, which represent the highlights, make the remaining titles seem too formulaic. All in all, Sweetener was seen as the best Ariana Grande album to date, as well as the first to cement her superstar status.

Sweetener appeared in the top ten on several leaderboards in 2018; including those from Rolling Stone , Complex , Stereogum and Noisey . Billboard was particularly enthusiastic , which crowned it the best album of the year.

In the German-speaking area, the reactions were much more restrained. Although Grande's progress after the attacks was praised here too, they were far less impressed by the musical quality, albeit with reasons that varied from criticism to criticism. The work was sometimes rated as surprising or low in tension, but sometimes also as over-optimized and "too much of a good thing". The productions by Pharrell Williams, which were highly praised in the USA, were criticized as being particularly inconspicuous, and the three features as annoying or disappointing. It was also criticized that the album relies more on hints than on directly addressing the traumatic events. However, there are also positive voices that highlight Grande's vocal performance and ability to reflect. Occasionally, Sweetener was seen as the first sign that the interpreter would have what it takes to follow in the footsteps of big pop stars like Madonna or Beyoncé in later years . Nevertheless, the euphoria that the work sometimes triggered in the English-speaking world was not shared.

success

Sweetener was a huge commercial success worldwide. He managed to reach the top of the charts in the USA , the United Kingdom , Canada , Switzerland , the Netherlands , Belgium , Sweden , Finland , Norway , Italy , Spain , Portugal , Australia and New Zealand , as well as in France and To land Denmark in second place. In Germany and Austria it climbed to positions 3 and 4, respectively.

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Date of publication. Retrieved on August 24, 2019 . 
2. ^ Paper Magazine interview. Retrieved on August 24, 2019 . 
3. ^ Complex's "The Most Anticipated Albums of 2018". Retrieved on August 24, 2019 . 
4. ^ Rolling Stone's "54 Most Anticipated Albums of 2018". Retrieved on August 24, 2019 . 
5. ↑ Album credits. Retrieved on August 24, 2019 . 
6. ↑ Ariana Grande in the US charts. Retrieved on August 24, 2019 . 
7. ↑ "no tears left to cry" Canadian charts. Retrieved on August 24, 2019 . 
8. ↑ "no tears left to cry" charts. Retrieved August 24, 2019 . 
9. ^ "God is a woman" charts. Retrieved August 24, 2019 . 
10. ↑ "breathin" charts. Retrieved August 24, 2019 . 
11. ↑ Ariana Grande in the UK charts. Retrieved on August 24, 2019 . 
12. ↑ Track-by-track commentary. Retrieved on August 24, 2019 . 
13. ↑ album cover. Retrieved on August 24, 2019 . 
14. ^ Rolling Stone review. Retrieved on August 24, 2019 . 
15. ^ Pitchfork criticism. Retrieved on August 24, 2019 . 
16. ^ Allmusic review. Retrieved on August 24, 2019 . 
17. ↑ Irish Times review. Retrieved on August 24, 2019 . 
18. ↑ The Guardian Review. Retrieved on August 24, 2019 . 
19. ↑ Rolling Stone's "50 Best Albums of 2018". Retrieved on August 24, 2019 . 
20. ↑ Complex's "The Best Albums of 2018". Retrieved on August 24, 2019 . 
21. ↑ Stereogum's "The Best Albums of 2018". Retrieved on August 24, 2019 . 
22. ↑ Vice's "The 100 Best Albums of 2018". Retrieved on August 24, 2019 . 
23. ↑ The Guardian Review. Retrieved on August 24, 2019 . 
24. ^ Minute music criticism. Retrieved August 24, 2019 . 
25. ↑ laut.de criticism. Retrieved August 24, 2019 . 
26. ^ Rolling Stone Germany criticism. Retrieved August 24, 2019 . 
27. ↑ Tagesspiegel criticism. Retrieved August 24, 2019 . 
28. ↑ US charts. Retrieved on August 24, 2019 . 
29. ↑ UK charts. Retrieved on August 24, 2019 . 
30. ↑ Canadian Charts. Retrieved on August 24, 2019 . 
31. ↑ Charts. Retrieved August 24, 2019 .