Ariana Grande is back again with her fifth studio album, “Thank U, Next,” released only six months after her previous album, “Sweetener.” Audiences heard three of her songs that were released individually  before the highly anticipated album dropped on Feb. 8, the first being “Thank U, Next” followed by “Imagine” and “7 Rings.”

As a longtime Grande fan, watching her style evolve is nothing but exciting. “Thank U, Next” is worlds apart from her debut album, “Yours Truly,” which came out in 2013. This album says what she means to say. She’s letting the whole world know what’s on her mind.

From “Fake Smile” to “NASA,” Grande is keeping it real. This is her most mature album to date, an album in which she describes overcoming the pains she has experienced in the span of a year.

In every song on this album, it’s clear what her message is: Self-love. Grande lets her fans know more and more about the woman that she is becoming by discussing her need for “no strings attached” relationships in songs such as “Bloodline” and “Bad Idea.”

With songs such as “NASA” and “Needy,” she sings about being human, with wanting both distance and affection at the same time. One of her more personal songs is “Ghostin,” as it hints at a very emotional part of her life. In 2018, Grande made headlines with her shocking engagement to Pete Davidson. In October of 2018, Mac Miller, Grande’s ex, passed away from an overdose. Many fans speculate that the lyrics of “Ghostin” refer to both Miller and Davidson, when she says “Though I wish he was here instead, don’t want that living in your head.”

It’s no secret that Grande is an amazing vocalist. Somehow though, she continues to amaze with every single song. She shows off her skillful whistle-notes in “Imagine” and “In My Head.” The album only took her six months to make and it is arguably her best yet.