Leading up to the release of “petal,” Ariana Grande’s eighth studio album, the singer described the project as “feral.” Feral it is, and feral I went when listening to it for the first, second, third and thousandth time.
The synth-pop, R&B album is a return to form for Grande, debuting at #1 on the iTunes charts and with over 60 million Spotify streams – one of the biggest streaming debuts this year – every track landed in the top 15 on the Daily Global Spotify chart on release day.
“petal” serves as an amalgamation of all of her past projects in a refined, mature and self-assured way while also exploring new sounds and subject matters.
Grande’s newest release is the type of album audiences have asked for from Grande, but since her record-breaking album “thank u, next” came out in 2019, it seemed that Grande diverted her focus from the charts to more cohesive and personal projects.
Grande explored her musical identity through the smooth R&B album “positions,” the reflective dance-pop “eternal sunshine” and even the grandiose showtune Wicked soundtrack albums.
However, “petal” marks a return to Grande’s signature blend of light melodies layered over heavy 808s and trap beats – last seen on her “thank u, next” album.
Accompanying the iconic sounds of her past, “petal” is also experimental in the best way. The album feels fresh in today’s pop music landscape, as Grande left a space in the mainstream that has been lacking in recent times – strong vocals, hard beats, catchy melodies and personal lyrics.
Thematically, “petal” focuses on two subjects: public scrutiny and rekindling flames.
The first finds Grande looking outward at those who comment on her life—telling them off—and speaking of her realization that she does not feel comfortable with her stardom and the unhealthy impact it has on her life. This theme guides several songs on the album including the lead single “hate that i made you love me,” “petal,” the second single, and “freak.”
The other overarching theme of the album is her recoupling with ex-boyfriend and former backup dancer Ricky Alvarez. Songs like “stay” and “bad thing (bunny hop)” highlight the nervousness that comes with getting back with an ex, but also the giddy feelings she has about rediscovering their love.
She dives further into their relationship, boasting about their more intimate connection on the tracks “big feelings” and “never get over me.”
With nods that Grande and Alvarez reconnected long before their public showings this summer, and her focusing on not wanting to appease those who don’t support her, one lesson from the album pushes its way to the forefront: the public does not know her, so stay out of her business.
Grande herself said the album was more uncensored and unfiltered than she previously allowed herself to be, writing from a place of rage at times, and through the subject matter and strong instrumentals, that can be felt.
Compared to Grande’s previous albums, “petal” is the most hands-on Grande has been in the writing process, co-writing every track with longtime collaborator ILYA, with the addition of pop hit-maker legend Max Martin on three songs.
This allows for Grande’s message to feel honest and authentic, which in turn allows the album to excel more than ever.
The opening track, “kiss me,” has a cinematic and grand feeling to it – the sudden intro, percussive but fluid instrumentals and dramatic lyrics. Grande is in search of an escape from the outside world – “Empathy, fix this reality” – before finding it in her lover. The pre-chorus, “Give me something to love, something overwhelming,” leads into the plea, “Kiss me like you know this is goodbye / Wе could try to make it all the way out.” As if the world is ending, Grande finds solace from public scrutiny and turmoil in her love, which she hopes will get her through it all.
The following two tracks, “hate that i made you love me” and “petal,” act as two sides of the same coin.
The former is a melodramatic, haunting pop song that explores how Grande’s personal life bleeds into her music. Therefore her success – “Turned tears into diamonds” – has created a toxic, unpredictable and parasocial dynamic between herself and the public. In the chart-topping single, she apologizes for this in the chorus – “I hate that I made you love me / Sorry if I made me your type” – before pointing the finger back at the public – “Is it really my fault you all gave me your hearts of your own accord? I don’t really think so.”
In the album’s title track, Grande abandons subtlety, using a rock-infused track to call out the true nature of her critics – “It’s such a f****d situation / Petal in the pavement.” She portrays herself as a flower growing in concrete, a person trying to survive despite the harsh and unnatural conditions they are put in. In an explosive midsection, Grande addresses criticism about her past relationships and appearance, before declaring “This is not a cry for help… It’s bye, this time for real.” This is the song that feels the angriest, the most intense and, from those, the most honest.
Switching soundscapes, Grande opts for a warm and upbeat shorter track with “stay,” which delves into her falling for a guy and wanting it to be real and safe. Reminiscent of “sweetener” and “eternal sunshine,” “petal”’s fourth song has an airy feel to it, despite delivering hard-hitting, relatable lyrics such as “I just want to stay this time, but can you keep me safe this time?,” “I don’t want to be just another corrective experience” and “I've been scared of losing things (Petal) / Maybe you could set me free.”
Continuing with the dreamier, upbeat sound, “oh well” reflects on finding peace within herself and being able to cut off those who no longer benefit her life with lyrics “It sucks because I love you for real / And I want to believe the love I never got is real” and “Good (Good) luck, darling / I'll meet my own needs / Though you've been trying to / Let's see who I can be without you.” There is almost an essence of an old PinkPantheress garage pop track, which is a new sound for Grande, but it’s also reminiscent of “warm,” a song from the eternal sunshine deluxe album. The extended outro is a nice addition to the track.
The sixth song, “big feelings,” is the most feral Grande has been in a while. “RnBiana” is a nickname fans made popular for the singer’s more R&B-inspired, and often raunchier, tracks – this is her prime. Between hard-hitting snares and stanky guitar, it is easy to associate the track that describes Grande’s ability to sexually entice her partner with previous albums “Dangerous Woman” and “positions.” However, this track comes with a strengthened sense of self and production, climbing its way to the top of her more mature discography with lyrics like “Baby, what's your karma like? / 'Cause, boy, you must've earned me historically” and “Once you express yourself, I can become so aquatic”… yeah.
Despite its title, “freak” is not another provocative track. Instead, on a stripped-back song, Grande returns to the theme of “petal” saying, “Someday all the seed will open / All of the life I’ve been denied of / Will bloom all around, unfrozen / How will it feel? How will it feel.” She no longer cares about the public’s perception of her and is trying to conform to what they want – “I won't give you your fantasy this time / No, I won't do what you say, freak, any time.” Separating herself from that toxic relationship is painful – “Can't imagine / Life without you in” – but Grande ultimately asks herself a larger question: once she is away from the parasocial freaks, how will she be able to grow individually?
Those emotions carry into “warning signs (interlude),” which serves as an extension of “freak,” but with added guitars and weight building until the track explodes with angry, distorted vocals:“You don't deserve me / You know you don't, you never have / But I want you to feel me / I wish someone could hear me.” Grande contrasts moments of overwhelming attention with sudden abandonment — “Monday, I got you all over me... But Friday, you're suddenly ghosting me” — which shows her inconsistent relationship with the public. Although she wants to be loved and cared for, she wants it to be genuine and not from fake concerns from people who have not consistently been there for her.
An acapella intro begins “like i do” before a dark instrumental sweeps in with boastful lyrics alongside it: “Keep my heels tall, my ego small but I'm still Grande.” In a harsher, more confident way, Grande continues to explore the toxic parasocial relationship she has with audiences, but this time how she benefits from it. Lyrics such as “I’m making cents off of your nonsense / All that s**t talk keeps me well-fed” and “Stay on your mind like all the time / Yeah, you still watching from the sides / Yeah, you still, still show up first in line” argue that critics are always the first to speak about her work. With strong vocals and direct lyrics, the confidence is similar to that of her smash hit “7 rings,” while also sonically embodying that of “Dangerous Woman.”
Grande carries that confidence into “never get over me,” though she redirects it toward her rekindled romance with Alvarez. Another “Dangerous Woman”-esque song, the strong bass and sultry vocals make her delivery of lines like “The grass is way greener / Since I been beneath ya” and “You'll be dreaming 'bout the taste of me / But look, at least you'll have the memory” impeccable. The song builds, just as the couple does, until the post-bridge climax where Grande shows off some of her strongest vocals on the album.
Grande offers a new perspective on her reunion with Alvarez in “bad thing (bunny hop),” with the parenthetical subtitle simply being a nod to the “Dangerous Woman” era, when their relationship first inspired her music. The song features a new sound for her, feeling like an Olivia Rodrigo or Wallows cut that belongs in a coming-of-age movie. It depicts a more innocent and purer love, but one that is still contentious – “Feeling like a teenager, I guess I really needed ya / It’s silly but I wonder if you feel how I feel / Have you been this fine the whole damn time/ This is a bad thing.”
As the album concludes, Grande sings, “Hard to believe in a perfect ending” in “nowhere, nobody,” where Grande ironically delivers a perfect outro. She allows herself to be vulnerable and open in the calm and partially acapella track, indicating that she wants to move forward to a happy and peaceful place – the place that she yearns for in the beginning of the album. The vocal distortion and spacey feeling is Imogen Heap-esque, an “idol” for Grande, and ties into her debut “Yours Truly” era with the use of MiMU gloves. She sings about her personal and professional struggles, yet she feels safe and settled saying, “Deep breaths, honey / We've at least 'til morning / Then there's nowhere, nobody else that I'd rather be with,” which could be interpreted as a leaving message to both her most loyal fans as well as those close to her personally, like her new boyfriend.
My personal track ranking for “petal” would look something like this:
1. big feelings – 10/10
2. nowhere, nobody – 10/10
3. never get over me – 10/10
4. kiss me – 10/10
5. like i do – 10/10
6. bad things (bunny hop) – 10/10
7. oh well – 9.5/10
8. stay – 9.5/10
9. warning signs (interlude) – 9/10
10. petal – 9/10
11. hate that i made you love me – 9/10
12. freak – 7.5/10
I do believe every song is good, with the top eight especially on repeat (and expected to be on Spotify Wrapped). As for the two singles I’ve ranked lowest, I think they are great songs and should be the pushed tracks, but I just personally cannot relate to the struggle with fame and the public hate (yet).
As for where “petal” falls in Grande’s discography as a whole, there are two ways to go about this: personal ranking or objective ranking – so I’ll do both.
Personally, “petal” lands itself in the top three of eight albums, knocking out “Dangerous Woman.” The other two that top my list are “sweetener” and “positions,” and “petal” fits the experimental and uncouth nature of both.
Objectively, “petal” fits into the top three of Grande’s discography alongside “thank u, next” and “eternal sunshine.” The three albums performed the best upon initial release while simultaneously being some of her most personal work. An album that can deliver chart-topping singles as well as deeply personal tracks is what fans love from artists, especially Grande.
Relating “petal” to albums outside of Grande’s discography, I think of “ANTI” by Rihanna and “reputation” by Taylor Swift—2010s popstars at their peak, releasing albums that are angry, gritty, and vulgar, but also vulnerable. The black sheep of their otherwise pop-forward discographies, the experimentation and darker sounds allow them to express themselves like never before.
All three albums explore themes about finding love through tumultuous times and wanting an escape from industry scrutiny.
Similar to “ANTI,” this might be Grande’s departure from music and stardom for a while – or maybe forever – much like how Rihanna looked for other ventures after her penultimate album.
Not only do the lyrics throughout “petal” insinuate her frustration with the public and the industry, but the music video for the title track also indicates Grande’s readiness to leave the music industry.
Grande was set to headline an onstage revival of Stephen Sondheim’s musical Sunday in the Park with George in London in summer 2027 alongside Wicked costar Jonathan Bailey. That was until Tuesday, when Grande decided to back out of the project, citing “public scrutiny” that followed the “petal” release and ongoing Eternal Sunshine tour.
The Eternal Sunshine tour ends its run in early September, and Grande’s appearance in Focker-in-Law, alongside Ben Stiller and Robert De Niro, is the only project currently on her slate and is set to release over Thanksgiving weekend.
This may be the last we see or hear from Grande in a while – and with “petal,” she left her mark and said her peace to the public. I can’t blame her.
Solomon Lee is the Advertising Manager for The Setonian. He can be reached at solomon.lee@student.shu.edu.
