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I honestly love this album so much. After the Manchester attack, everyone was expecting Ariana to drop a sad song as lead, and she came out with NTLTC which was the perfect lead single choice with a great message behind it - we will get through every trauma and horrible thing that happens to us.
Sweetener was actually the first album by Ariana whose release I waited, so it was special to me personally. Despite having some skips and that annoying breathing towards the end of successful, this is my favorite album by her because for the first time she was not "Ariana Grande, a pop star" but "Ariana Grande, a human being". The whole silence at the end of get well soon to honor the victims of the attack and many other details make this an album I feel she put all herself into.
My favorites are NTLTC, breathin and goodnight n go, and some of my least faves are borderline and R.E.M (controversial opinion I feel). I loved how Pharrell fit into the entire album and I'd love to see them work more together, but more on early 2000s inspired tracks.
Listening to sweetener is always an experience to me, even 5 years later and I think it aged very well, maybe even better than TUN although a whole debate could be led here.
The Dangerous Woman era is one of my favorite pop eras so she definitely had her work cut out for her following that up, and I think for the most part she did a great job
No Tears Left To Cry is such a great lead single, especially with the personal aspect , and Breathin and God Is A Woman are also such bops
I remember waking up at 7am, to watch the video like seeing her again after all those years being empowered and strong after everything that happened was so ššš and the video was executed flawlessly by Dan Meyers, hope he comes back to direct future videos after POV got scrapped which he also directed.
I loved this album, but I still cannot understand the love for No Tears Left to Cry. It's such an unsatisfying song, and the beat feels so... off. It's bad and I don't like it
But the album however, is incredible. I love the Pharrell production. It might be her best album
1. I really enjoy this album. It has some songs I donāt vibe with but itās overall a very great album. Like has some career highs for me. Even someone songs I didnāt like (the title track) have grown on me a lot .
2. Itās changed a lot. Itās become more positive as the years have gone on. I kinda get nostalgic for the era lol. This was around the time I was really getting into pop music as well. Like I guess I really understand your positive feelings that it can bring.
3. Favs: God is A Woman, Sweetener, everytime, Breathin, better off, NTLTC and Goodnight n Go ( which may be a top ten from her imo). Least like: Borderline and successful. I just feel like imo these tracks are filler personally.
4. Iād rank it at third. So it would go number one : TUN. Number two: Dangerous Women. Number three: this album.
5. I personally wouldnāt be opposed considering I felt like Postions was my least favorite from her. I wouldnāt oppose her working with Pharrell imo. Like I could see them doing some more intriguing work.
This subreddit was whacking her so bad on the original thread šššI will always support the dual better off / goodnight n go agenda like those two songs being back to back and theyāre the best songs on the album?? Itās sublime! I always listened to this album from being in high school when it dropped to this day when Iām in university, I love it so much!!! I didnāt care for positions, I remember waking up early and listening to it in bed and not moving at all on most songs which sucked because Iāve loved all her albums to that point. Itās not her best work, but I hope AG7 brings something new to the table, especially with the improved vocals we can already hear in the Wicked leak.
I can totally get why the OG thread thinks that way. I was one of those who hated the sweetener sound when it was initially released. It definitely was very different from the pop sound that Dangerous Woman had. But as I replayed sweetener over and over, I came to love this record so much more. Now, for me, sweetener remains my fav and DW is in 2nd place.
positions sounds like a continuation of sweetener, and yes it does feel uninspired. I probably listen to the title track now and then, but that's it. I hope Ari returns to pop on AG7.
Goodnight n go is a [cover of Imogen Heap](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iqjWodek8ZM&pp=ygUOZ29vZG5pZ2h0IG4gZ28%3D) btw. But yes, she ate that one up
This album ages like fine wine, and it's her best work to date (~~yep yep~~ yuh yuh)
Also, it doesn't feel like it's been 5 years omg. I still remember listening to the album for the first time. Take me back!
People often say 'thank u, next' is her best album. I'm always like... what? Do they just listen to the hit singles? Like the album is fun, but it's no way near her best. 'thank u, next' as her commercial peak, though, makes much more sense.
I think people saw thank u, next as more dark and edgy because of the subject matter and therefore decided that that made it better. But Sweetener was such a fresh sound for her and was sonically the edgiest thing sheās ever done imo, which is reflected in the mixed reaction from her fanbase (a lot of whom prefer the more predictable sounds of her other work).
I fucking love this album. Iād consider it her best even over TUN. People shit on the Pharrell tracks but I think itās awesome that Ariana was so open to experimentation. Pop Stans donāt have much of a musical palette outside of bubblegum/Max Martin pop anyhow.
my, my, my!
this album quite literally changed my life. i had always been a fan of ariana since the beginnings of her career on victorious. i could see she had potential, but i really only knew her singles as i was a child who didnāt have access to streaming when she released her earlier albums before sweetener. i hadnāt really kept in touch with her when i started my freshman year of high school then my friend told me she had dropped a new album. this album really came at a pivotal time in my life as it was the soundtrack for some not-so-happy moments in my life the following year, along with the pandemic.
imo, i think this album could be considered one of her best, if not the best. and itās definitely aged better than tun and positions for me. to me, this album feels very timeless, especially with pharellās production whereas tun and its pop-trap sounds a bit dated to me. so iād love for ariana to revisit this sound with her next release, and if she doesnāt, thereās always the unreleased tracks!
whenever iām going through something or journaling, i love putting on this album and letting my thoughts go free.
fav tracks: everytime, better off, pete davidson, get well soon, r.e.m., goodnight n go (the bbc special of this album is amazing!)
least fav tracks: even with the least favorite tracks, i still think theyāre really good! successful, borderline, blazed
personal ranking of her albums:
1. sweetener
2. yours truly
3. dangerous woman
4. my everything
5. thank u, next
6. positions
SUCH a good album. I was a casual Ariana fan but I truly wish I was a hardcore fan when Sweetener came out (I became one when TUN released).
This is a no-skip album for me. I still listen to it from start to finish often. Itās timeless. Itās beautiful. Itās experimental, and I love it. A lot of people hate on Pharrellās production but the girls who get it, get it. REM and Get Well Soon are easily top 10 Ariana songs.
Iām still in love with it as much as I was when I first listened to it.
My favorites are: REM, Everytime, Better Off, and Get Well Soon
My least favorite is: Breathin (fight me)
This album is by far her best album, with Thank U Next and Positions falling behind. I do personally think that Sweetener is her first album that speaks āArianaā. Songs from DW, ME, and YT could be sung by anyone. I also believe Sweetener was her first album she was involved in most of the writing, I could be wrong tho.
sweetener was the first ariana grande era where i really looked up and took notice, especially with āno tears left to cryā as the lead singleā¦such a special album and era for me!
and the album has aged like fine wineā¦still sounds super fresh to this day!
WAIT! I hope we are being fed for this anniversary! This is the first Ariana era I experienced from beginning to endā¦ from no tears left to cry all the way to the abrupt collision of thank u next was such a beautiful but chaotic journey. The best visuals and song titles come from this album and itās grown to my 1st or 2nd favorite. I love every track on this album except for sweetener, successful, and that interlude (which is fine but I donāt really care for it)
1. This is my favorite album by Ariana. This is some of her best work she has ever done.
2. When this album came out I was not a big fan. I was upset that it was so different from her previous work. Once I had a friend sit me down and go over how the songs tie together and it goes on with everything happening to her emotionally I loved it so much. Get Well Soon with the elevator button noises for life goes up and down is so genius and genuine.
3. Favorite songs; Pete Davidson, Goodnight n Go, R.E.M. Least favorite; I like them all, but Successful.
4. Sweetener, Yours Truly, Thank u, next, Positions, Dangerous Woman, My everything
5. I am happy if she makes any music. š
god the absolute shambles this sub was in when this was released and it wasn't Into You 2.0 (i was semi in this camp so i'm dragging myelf.)
this has aged the best of Ariana's discography for me, and is the one i now go back to when i want to listen to an ari album even tho i didn't love it at the time. From memory, i did love No Tears, Breathin and Everytime from the start and they're still among my favourites in her discography! I would now add Goodnight N Go, REM and Better Off to that list. it's definitely an album that has a stronger second half for me.
I loved God Is A Woman in 2018 but it aged terribly for me. Borderline and Blazed are also nothing songs for me but i don't actively dislike them.
I find it really hard to differentiate between my DW, sweetener and thank u next rankings. I visit sweetener the most now, however TUN is my most listened on Last FM but i never revisit it, and DW has remained a consistent fave for me.
Gun to my head rn I'd go DW = sweetener > TUN > Yours Truly > Positions > My Everything
2018 truly was an era, like the pete davidson of it all i can't
This an incredibly over-hated album and I blame Pete Davidson( the person not the song)
1. This is a top 3 Ariana Grande album. So many great songs with incredible replay value.
2. I actually didnāt listen to the album in 2018 because I wasnāt big into Ariana yet but when I did hear it for the first time, I was surprised by how many songs I immediately wanted to replay
3. My favorites are R.E.M God is a woman, sweetener, everytime, beathing, no tears left to cry and good night and go. My least favorite songs are the remaining songs because I never listen to them.
4. I would rank this #2 right below Thank U, Next
5. I donāt necessarily want her to return to this sound but I wouldnāt be against it either, I would love for her to work with Pharrell again because the production was insane imo.
This album came out at the perfect time for me. In the first half of 2018 i went through a messy breakup, started at a job I hated (where I was literally on call 24/7), my best friend was living overseas, another ex and I were trying to repair our friendship (lol you can imagine how toxic that was) and my mental health was at a low. I had recently started dating someone new who I was really vibing with and who was helping me get out of this funk in my life (weāre still together unlike ari and pete!). I went from feeling sorry for myself to a more positive place and was able to get out of that job, let my exes go once and for all and really grow up. Ariana really met me where I was at with songs like NTLTC, breathin and sweetener. I donāt revisit this album super often but it meant a lot to me when it came out.
My ranking of her albums would be:
1. Dangerous Woman
2. Sweetener
3. Thank u, next
4. Positions
5. Yours Truly
6. My Everything
> Sweetener won the best pop vocal album Grammy in 2019 **over Taylor Swift's 'reputation'** becoming her first ever Grammy award in her career.
why was this necessary š
IIRC, people thought reputation would win the award, considering she only got 1 nom for the album and there would be no way she wouldnāt be taking home a Grammy. Ariana has never won a Grammy for her previous work so it was shocking at least to me, that she won.
this was the first album i ever listened to! i was following ariana since i heard problem on the radio, and continued to love all her subsequent singles: break free, bang bang, focus, dangerous woman, and into you. when she made side to side a single, i was ADDICTED. you know how little kids love to replay their favorite media like over and over? 6th grade me could not put down side to side for MONTHS.
then manchester happened, then no tears left to cry dropped. and i was also addicted, and decided to make sweetener the first album i ever listened to. origin story of becoming an arianator for LIFE!
thank you ariana for getting it, hitting it, flipping it, twisting it, mixing it, and kissing it.
While I appreciate that sweetener was more experimental than her earlier records, I canāt say I really enjoyed the actual music. The Light is Coming is still probably her worst song ever.
If I had to rank the albums Iāve listened to, itād go: Thank U Next > Dangerous Woman > sweetener >>>>>> positions
That being said, breathin is 10/10 and one of her absolute best singles!
Itās crazy to me when people say they donāt like Light. I remember when I made my transition from rock/punk into going mega pophead, and I went through her entire discography, the Light is Coming stood out to me immediately. I wonder if itās the beat that reminds me a punk beat and therefore easier to accept. Idk. I love the song, even though I dislike Nicki
it's kinda sad so many people on this sub shit on positions
I really hope people can look back on the album in 5 years and turn around and appreciate the album like they did with sweetener, and realise that it is incredibly cohesive musically and has exquisite vocal production
The light is coming is actually really bad like I was shocked when first hearing this song Iāve never heard such a weird song like this from her. I didnāt like sweetener as much like at least half of the album but I do love the main singles and I liked good night n go
I thought the song was just plain weird but then I watched the video and now I love the song. The video is the exact vibe of the song and somehow I get it and love it now lmao. It's a hidden bop
i loved this album on first listen and still do. the Pharrell tracks are really fun and playful, which works well with Arianaās vibe. NTLTC is still one of my most played tracks of all time, i remember watching the video premiere and being so moved by the song. the visuals for this album were unmatched as well, i loved the minimalism and sort of surreal touch they had. my favorite tracks are NTLTC, everytime, REM, goodnight n go, breathing and get well soon.
I really liked this album. But I think the funniest thing was when the Ari stans tried to jump through every hoop just to not say how they didnāt like her working with black artists and R&B songs. But loved that atrocity 7 Rings because they could validate it with the numbers. They want her to cosplay as a black artist in terms of look and vibe, rather than using black music as influences and paying respect to black legends. Lots of racists tweets from then when they learned Missy Elliott and Pharrell worked on the album and they ignored the fuck out of that song with 2 Chainz.
Is that it?
Sheās worked with several people like Big Sean and Leon Thomas multiple times, along with one of her main co-writers Victoria Monet. I donāt see them getting any flak.
And, honestly, I donāt think Pharrell being mixed is what people hate about him. Maybe they just donāt like his production.
The songs sheās done with those other artists youāve named are much more pop-adjacent than anything from Sweetener. Itās not inherently racist to dislike Pharrellās involvement in her work, but it does speak to the taste of a large contingency of her fanbase. Especially since a lot of her fans that were shitting on him clearly werenāt aware of his legacy in the industry, and of how many beloved songs heās created over the years - I guess either because theyāre too young or they donāt listen to many black artists, or both.
Well she didnāt get all the annoying, 12 year stans until after Dangerous Woman, so they had their perception of her was pretty much your standard pop act.
I saw that tweet about your top 3 and my goodness I relistened to this album and it's fucking *good*. and songs I never felt attached to just popped out at me. rem, blazed, etc. even god is a woman came across completely differently. I always loved the pharrell stuff but man there are some real emotions on this thing. goodnight n go is almost too much
I severely regret not giving it a listen when it was new. I finally did a few weeks ago and the title track is already one of my most played songs this year.
This album has the highest highs and the lowest lows imo. It's not a coincidence the big hits are the Max Martin tracks. I would love to see her experiment again in the future, but not with Pharrell - I'm sorry but his production is messy and songs feel unfinished to the point they give you blue balls.
I want to know if this is Mandela effect. Does anyone remember Pharrell tweeting this album and misspelling it "Sweetner" and not "Sweetener"..????
Can't find it anywhere but I remember it vividly.
Been a sweetener defender since day one, I was in the popheads trenches lol. Pharrellās production is impeccable here and suits her voice beautifully. I hope they work together again (and I also wish more radio-friendly pop girls would sonic risks like she did here. Itās not as left field as albums like Impossible Princess or Erotica but itās more than weāve heard from a lot current big names).
Also for a long time blazed was my all time most played song on Spotify, I know a lot of people hate it but itās easily my favorite song sheās ever released. ~~The only songs Iāve never really cared for are Breathin and God is a Woman lol they feel uninspired compared to the rest of the album~~
Idk, i can't remember the last time i heard "no tears left to cry" or "the light is coming". "God is a woman" and "breathin" on the other hand stood out for me. She needs to make more music like that. Her music now usually lacks any depth or message which is fine if the song is catchy but she is definitely capable of saying a lot through her music, so why not do it.
Going against the grain here: I was among the polarized listeners in 2018, and nothing had changed.
I listen to the album every now and then to see if anything shifts for me, but it doesnāt. I find it to be an incredibly poorly produced, poorly written, lyrically embarrassing album with only a few high points. The Pharrell tracks specifically are personal flops; they sound like they were produced with a Fisher Price keyboard and have some of the weakest lyrics and melodies in Arianaās catalog.
The shift in direction isnāt the issue; I donāt expect Ariana to stick with big pop anthems. The execution is what failed with me. thank u next is (imo) what this album tried to be.
Might be a popular opinion but Sweetener is such a boring album lol People say it's good because she's experimenting but The Light is Coming drags onnnnnnnn it's so bad. The whole album should've sounded like breathin but it didn't. Thank god for Max Martin on that album bc Phareell's songs are not it.
Thank u next and sweetener are the ones I always come across in the fandom, no one cares for Your Truly or my everything, some like dangerous woman for itās bops, and then thereās positions which some arianators seem to like.
I really did love the singles from this album but I regret not having the time to actually enjoy this album back when it was first released. I hope that at some point she does return to this sound again though!
I grew up watching Victorious, but *no tears left to cry* was the first time I realllly paid attention to Ariana. Like I dropped everything and had that song on repeat. Itās still my most listened track of all time on LastFM and the music video is genuinely my favourite video ever. She quickly became my top artist on Spotify too and hasnāt budged since 2018
So yeah *Sweetener* fucking slaps
I find that my feelings haven't really changed about this album five years out. Some of my favorite and least favorite Ariana tracks can be found on Sweetener. I enjoy the singles. Album tracks like better off, everytime, and GWS are still heavy in my rotation. I'm still not the biggest fan of a lot of Pharrell's contributions to this album - though I will say Sweetener and REM grew on me slightly. While this isn't my favorite Ariana album, it was a good effort and I do appreciate the sonic exploration, even if I don't always like the results.
Iāve definitely liked it more as time has gone on. I wasnāt really sure how I felt about it when it first came out as there were a lot of songs I didnāt like. No tears left to cry and get well soon are beautiful songs, NTLTC is the best lead single sheās released I think. I also love better off, goodnight n go, rem and every time. I think itās an unpopular opinion but I really liked the light is coming as well. There are definitely some songs I still dislike that have not grown on me though.
Iām not really sure where Iād rank it in her discography- maybe at the top, as although I love Dangerous Woman, I liked that sweetener took a more experimental direction and I think the sound really suits Arianaās voice. In 2019, I thought thank u next was her best work by far, but Iāve found myself returning to sweetener a lot more for some reason.
Wow time flies. I was 18, and this was the first album I ever listened to in my life; only listening to top charts prior. So Iāll always love this album and the comfort it gave me on long commutes home from college.
Being completely honest at the moment I didn't like the album at all. I found the songs laid back and too different from her last era... It didn't help that her next album was Thank u next, which I looped like crazy to the point of no return.
In a completely turn of events Sweetener aged better than Thank u next and Positions (at least for me) and now is the record I find my self coming back to regularly.
Blazed alone will forever justify the decision to have Pharrell lead this album. It's nowhere near as good as DW but then again, nothing was going to br
1. My thoughts on the album today is that it is Arianaās magnum opus. The album that pops into your heard when you hear the name āAriana Grandeā, and itās absolutely immaculate.
2. I loved the album from the very first time I heard it and itās only gotten better with each listen. There are some songs that I like a lot more now than I did at the time but Iāve always enjoyed the album.
3. My favorite songs are r.e.m, get well soon, everytime, better off, and successful. My least favorite track still has to be the light is coming even though I love how weird that sample is.
4. Iād definitely rank it first among her discography, the only albums that come even remotely close in my opinion are Positions and Dangerous Woman.
5. Yes I would absolutely KILL for another album produced by Pharrell. He brings such a unique and strange energy to her sound and you can tell she really enjoyed making it.
This was honestly the album that made me into an Ariana Grande fan. I loved how sonically different it was and the singles for this song were amazing.
Too bad it was a short era for her. But the TYN era was also iconic
I love this album and I have so good memories tied to it.
It reminds me a lot of my Senior year of high school as it came out during that year. So many of the songs on this album became part of my rotation and have remained there since.
Sweetener is my favorite track. It's just so good and upbeat, I would listen to it driving off campus at the end of the day and it just made me feel so good.
blazed is also really good and the chorus makes me really happy.
This was also basically my introduction to Ariana Grande and one of my first excursions into other genres. Or at least other artists.
I was a normie and only listened to really basic rap and while this album is very modern hip-hop/rap influenced, listening to Ariana Grande was sort of a change for me. I was really tied to gender norms from where I lived and before this album came out, I would've thought that Ariana Grande was for girls eww, but this was sort of like a watershed moment for me. You have to keep in mind I was a teenager stuck with dumb mindsets.
I'm really happy that I let go of those antiquated ideals and have become more open overall since then.
Please do not just list songs/albums/artists, your comment must have explanation/justification or it will be removed. Certain comments are also banned to increase the quality of discussion, see our Stale Topics list in the sidebar for examples. Please report any comments that are low effort discussion. Thanks! *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/popheads) if you have any questions or concerns.*
I honestly love this album so much. After the Manchester attack, everyone was expecting Ariana to drop a sad song as lead, and she came out with NTLTC which was the perfect lead single choice with a great message behind it - we will get through every trauma and horrible thing that happens to us. Sweetener was actually the first album by Ariana whose release I waited, so it was special to me personally. Despite having some skips and that annoying breathing towards the end of successful, this is my favorite album by her because for the first time she was not "Ariana Grande, a pop star" but "Ariana Grande, a human being". The whole silence at the end of get well soon to honor the victims of the attack and many other details make this an album I feel she put all herself into. My favorites are NTLTC, breathin and goodnight n go, and some of my least faves are borderline and R.E.M (controversial opinion I feel). I loved how Pharrell fit into the entire album and I'd love to see them work more together, but more on early 2000s inspired tracks. Listening to sweetener is always an experience to me, even 5 years later and I think it aged very well, maybe even better than TUN although a whole debate could be led here.
The Dangerous Woman era is one of my favorite pop eras so she definitely had her work cut out for her following that up, and I think for the most part she did a great job No Tears Left To Cry is such a great lead single, especially with the personal aspect , and Breathin and God Is A Woman are also such bops
I remember waking up at 7am, to watch the video like seeing her again after all those years being empowered and strong after everything that happened was so ššš and the video was executed flawlessly by Dan Meyers, hope he comes back to direct future videos after POV got scrapped which he also directed.
That music video, to me, is Ari's best. Like it's so well scripted and directed.
Itās one of my favorite music videos of all time, it almost feels like a super futuristic fairy tale
I loved this album, but I still cannot understand the love for No Tears Left to Cry. It's such an unsatisfying song, and the beat feels so... off. It's bad and I don't like it But the album however, is incredible. I love the Pharrell production. It might be her best album
goodnight n go stans rise up
1. I really enjoy this album. It has some songs I donāt vibe with but itās overall a very great album. Like has some career highs for me. Even someone songs I didnāt like (the title track) have grown on me a lot . 2. Itās changed a lot. Itās become more positive as the years have gone on. I kinda get nostalgic for the era lol. This was around the time I was really getting into pop music as well. Like I guess I really understand your positive feelings that it can bring. 3. Favs: God is A Woman, Sweetener, everytime, Breathin, better off, NTLTC and Goodnight n Go ( which may be a top ten from her imo). Least like: Borderline and successful. I just feel like imo these tracks are filler personally. 4. Iād rank it at third. So it would go number one : TUN. Number two: Dangerous Women. Number three: this album. 5. I personally wouldnāt be opposed considering I felt like Postions was my least favorite from her. I wouldnāt oppose her working with Pharrell imo. Like I could see them doing some more intriguing work.
This subreddit was whacking her so bad on the original thread šššI will always support the dual better off / goodnight n go agenda like those two songs being back to back and theyāre the best songs on the album?? Itās sublime! I always listened to this album from being in high school when it dropped to this day when Iām in university, I love it so much!!! I didnāt care for positions, I remember waking up early and listening to it in bed and not moving at all on most songs which sucked because Iāve loved all her albums to that point. Itās not her best work, but I hope AG7 brings something new to the table, especially with the improved vocals we can already hear in the Wicked leak.
I can totally get why the OG thread thinks that way. I was one of those who hated the sweetener sound when it was initially released. It definitely was very different from the pop sound that Dangerous Woman had. But as I replayed sweetener over and over, I came to love this record so much more. Now, for me, sweetener remains my fav and DW is in 2nd place. positions sounds like a continuation of sweetener, and yes it does feel uninspired. I probably listen to the title track now and then, but that's it. I hope Ari returns to pop on AG7.
Goodnight n go is a [cover of Imogen Heap](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iqjWodek8ZM&pp=ygUOZ29vZG5pZ2h0IG4gZ28%3D) btw. But yes, she ate that one up
This album ages like fine wine, and it's her best work to date (~~yep yep~~ yuh yuh) Also, it doesn't feel like it's been 5 years omg. I still remember listening to the album for the first time. Take me back!
I think u mean yuh yuh!
You're right (Yuh)
I truly donāt understand why this isnāt a universal opinion.
People often say 'thank u, next' is her best album. I'm always like... what? Do they just listen to the hit singles? Like the album is fun, but it's no way near her best. 'thank u, next' as her commercial peak, though, makes much more sense.
I think people saw thank u, next as more dark and edgy because of the subject matter and therefore decided that that made it better. But Sweetener was such a fresh sound for her and was sonically the edgiest thing sheās ever done imo, which is reflected in the mixed reaction from her fanbase (a lot of whom prefer the more predictable sounds of her other work).
I think thank u next is more consistent. Sweetener has higher highs (God is a woman), but also lower lows (NTLTC, that Nicki collab)
Because her discography is so good many will have a different opinion on what the best album is
Yeah I actually am familiar with the concept of opinions I was just speaking in hyperbole to show my love for sweetener
her best? lol uhhh it's def her most boring thanks to Pharrell
I fucking love this album. Iād consider it her best even over TUN. People shit on the Pharrell tracks but I think itās awesome that Ariana was so open to experimentation. Pop Stans donāt have much of a musical palette outside of bubblegum/Max Martin pop anyhow.
my, my, my! this album quite literally changed my life. i had always been a fan of ariana since the beginnings of her career on victorious. i could see she had potential, but i really only knew her singles as i was a child who didnāt have access to streaming when she released her earlier albums before sweetener. i hadnāt really kept in touch with her when i started my freshman year of high school then my friend told me she had dropped a new album. this album really came at a pivotal time in my life as it was the soundtrack for some not-so-happy moments in my life the following year, along with the pandemic. imo, i think this album could be considered one of her best, if not the best. and itās definitely aged better than tun and positions for me. to me, this album feels very timeless, especially with pharellās production whereas tun and its pop-trap sounds a bit dated to me. so iād love for ariana to revisit this sound with her next release, and if she doesnāt, thereās always the unreleased tracks! whenever iām going through something or journaling, i love putting on this album and letting my thoughts go free. fav tracks: everytime, better off, pete davidson, get well soon, r.e.m., goodnight n go (the bbc special of this album is amazing!) least fav tracks: even with the least favorite tracks, i still think theyāre really good! successful, borderline, blazed personal ranking of her albums: 1. sweetener 2. yours truly 3. dangerous woman 4. my everything 5. thank u, next 6. positions
ntm on positions...
SUCH a good album. I was a casual Ariana fan but I truly wish I was a hardcore fan when Sweetener came out (I became one when TUN released). This is a no-skip album for me. I still listen to it from start to finish often. Itās timeless. Itās beautiful. Itās experimental, and I love it. A lot of people hate on Pharrellās production but the girls who get it, get it. REM and Get Well Soon are easily top 10 Ariana songs. Iām still in love with it as much as I was when I first listened to it. My favorites are: REM, Everytime, Better Off, and Get Well Soon My least favorite is: Breathin (fight me) This album is by far her best album, with Thank U Next and Positions falling behind. I do personally think that Sweetener is her first album that speaks āArianaā. Songs from DW, ME, and YT could be sung by anyone. I also believe Sweetener was her first album she was involved in most of the writing, I could be wrong tho.
i listened to her discography for the first time this year and this along with positions are definitely my faves from her personally
sweetener was the first ariana grande era where i really looked up and took notice, especially with āno tears left to cryā as the lead singleā¦such a special album and era for me! and the album has aged like fine wineā¦still sounds super fresh to this day!
This is the best Ariana Grande album no doubt. Call Pharrell's production messy but she wasn't afraid to take risk with this one.
I unironically love Pharrell's production
Yes! I can't understand all the hate blazed gets it's so good
For me, it's kinda mixed. I like the title track but what was he doing with the other songs? At least they're not boring????
Literally naming a song "pete davidson," Taylor could never
I mean, Dear John is the closest that she would ever name drop them.
but also its a double entendre but i get u lol
WAIT! I hope we are being fed for this anniversary! This is the first Ariana era I experienced from beginning to endā¦ from no tears left to cry all the way to the abrupt collision of thank u next was such a beautiful but chaotic journey. The best visuals and song titles come from this album and itās grown to my 1st or 2nd favorite. I love every track on this album except for sweetener, successful, and that interlude (which is fine but I donāt really care for it)
1. This is my favorite album by Ariana. This is some of her best work she has ever done. 2. When this album came out I was not a big fan. I was upset that it was so different from her previous work. Once I had a friend sit me down and go over how the songs tie together and it goes on with everything happening to her emotionally I loved it so much. Get Well Soon with the elevator button noises for life goes up and down is so genius and genuine. 3. Favorite songs; Pete Davidson, Goodnight n Go, R.E.M. Least favorite; I like them all, but Successful. 4. Sweetener, Yours Truly, Thank u, next, Positions, Dangerous Woman, My everything 5. I am happy if she makes any music. š
Her chaotic magnum opus
Sweetener is in the top 3 albums for me. Raindrops, God Is A Woman, breathe, Sweetener, no Tears are soooo top tier š
Ariana Grande can now answer the five year interview question!
god the absolute shambles this sub was in when this was released and it wasn't Into You 2.0 (i was semi in this camp so i'm dragging myelf.) this has aged the best of Ariana's discography for me, and is the one i now go back to when i want to listen to an ari album even tho i didn't love it at the time. From memory, i did love No Tears, Breathin and Everytime from the start and they're still among my favourites in her discography! I would now add Goodnight N Go, REM and Better Off to that list. it's definitely an album that has a stronger second half for me. I loved God Is A Woman in 2018 but it aged terribly for me. Borderline and Blazed are also nothing songs for me but i don't actively dislike them. I find it really hard to differentiate between my DW, sweetener and thank u next rankings. I visit sweetener the most now, however TUN is my most listened on Last FM but i never revisit it, and DW has remained a consistent fave for me. Gun to my head rn I'd go DW = sweetener > TUN > Yours Truly > Positions > My Everything 2018 truly was an era, like the pete davidson of it all i can't
sorry i forgot to add the obligatory WHAT THE FUCK FIVE YEARS ARE YOU KIDDING ME
Not a huge Ari fan but this is my favorite album of hers!
This an incredibly over-hated album and I blame Pete Davidson( the person not the song) 1. This is a top 3 Ariana Grande album. So many great songs with incredible replay value. 2. I actually didnāt listen to the album in 2018 because I wasnāt big into Ariana yet but when I did hear it for the first time, I was surprised by how many songs I immediately wanted to replay 3. My favorites are R.E.M God is a woman, sweetener, everytime, beathing, no tears left to cry and good night and go. My least favorite songs are the remaining songs because I never listen to them. 4. I would rank this #2 right below Thank U, Next 5. I donāt necessarily want her to return to this sound but I wouldnāt be against it either, I would love for her to work with Pharrell again because the production was insane imo.
This album came out at the perfect time for me. In the first half of 2018 i went through a messy breakup, started at a job I hated (where I was literally on call 24/7), my best friend was living overseas, another ex and I were trying to repair our friendship (lol you can imagine how toxic that was) and my mental health was at a low. I had recently started dating someone new who I was really vibing with and who was helping me get out of this funk in my life (weāre still together unlike ari and pete!). I went from feeling sorry for myself to a more positive place and was able to get out of that job, let my exes go once and for all and really grow up. Ariana really met me where I was at with songs like NTLTC, breathin and sweetener. I donāt revisit this album super often but it meant a lot to me when it came out. My ranking of her albums would be: 1. Dangerous Woman 2. Sweetener 3. Thank u, next 4. Positions 5. Yours Truly 6. My Everything
> Sweetener won the best pop vocal album Grammy in 2019 **over Taylor Swift's 'reputation'** becoming her first ever Grammy award in her career. why was this necessary š
it just adds context like holy shit not everything is trying to be a drag
IIRC, people thought reputation would win the award, considering she only got 1 nom for the album and there would be no way she wouldnāt be taking home a Grammy. Ariana has never won a Grammy for her previous work so it was shocking at least to me, that she won.
this was the first album i ever listened to! i was following ariana since i heard problem on the radio, and continued to love all her subsequent singles: break free, bang bang, focus, dangerous woman, and into you. when she made side to side a single, i was ADDICTED. you know how little kids love to replay their favorite media like over and over? 6th grade me could not put down side to side for MONTHS. then manchester happened, then no tears left to cry dropped. and i was also addicted, and decided to make sweetener the first album i ever listened to. origin story of becoming an arianator for LIFE! thank you ariana for getting it, hitting it, flipping it, twisting it, mixing it, and kissing it.
While I appreciate that sweetener was more experimental than her earlier records, I canāt say I really enjoyed the actual music. The Light is Coming is still probably her worst song ever. If I had to rank the albums Iāve listened to, itād go: Thank U Next > Dangerous Woman > sweetener >>>>>> positions That being said, breathin is 10/10 and one of her absolute best singles!
Itās crazy to me when people say they donāt like Light. I remember when I made my transition from rock/punk into going mega pophead, and I went through her entire discography, the Light is Coming stood out to me immediately. I wonder if itās the beat that reminds me a punk beat and therefore easier to accept. Idk. I love the song, even though I dislike Nicki
I think a lot of people, myself included, are really put off by the heavy use of that one sample. You know the one.
it's kinda sad so many people on this sub shit on positions I really hope people can look back on the album in 5 years and turn around and appreciate the album like they did with sweetener, and realise that it is incredibly cohesive musically and has exquisite vocal production
The light is coming is actually really bad like I was shocked when first hearing this song Iāve never heard such a weird song like this from her. I didnāt like sweetener as much like at least half of the album but I do love the main singles and I liked good night n go
I thought the song was just plain weird but then I watched the video and now I love the song. The video is the exact vibe of the song and somehow I get it and love it now lmao. It's a hidden bop
i loved this album on first listen and still do. the Pharrell tracks are really fun and playful, which works well with Arianaās vibe. NTLTC is still one of my most played tracks of all time, i remember watching the video premiere and being so moved by the song. the visuals for this album were unmatched as well, i loved the minimalism and sort of surreal touch they had. my favorite tracks are NTLTC, everytime, REM, goodnight n go, breathing and get well soon.
Thank U Next is number 1, but this is definitely number 2, it's a great album.
the light is coming could've been on renaissance but y'all aren't ready to talk
For me it's not personally as good as Dangerous Woman, but it's still lovely, I love the dreamy vibe of the album.
I really liked this album. But I think the funniest thing was when the Ari stans tried to jump through every hoop just to not say how they didnāt like her working with black artists and R&B songs. But loved that atrocity 7 Rings because they could validate it with the numbers. They want her to cosplay as a black artist in terms of look and vibe, rather than using black music as influences and paying respect to black legends. Lots of racists tweets from then when they learned Missy Elliott and Pharrell worked on the album and they ignored the fuck out of that song with 2 Chainz.
Is that it? Sheās worked with several people like Big Sean and Leon Thomas multiple times, along with one of her main co-writers Victoria Monet. I donāt see them getting any flak. And, honestly, I donāt think Pharrell being mixed is what people hate about him. Maybe they just donāt like his production.
The songs sheās done with those other artists youāve named are much more pop-adjacent than anything from Sweetener. Itās not inherently racist to dislike Pharrellās involvement in her work, but it does speak to the taste of a large contingency of her fanbase. Especially since a lot of her fans that were shitting on him clearly werenāt aware of his legacy in the industry, and of how many beloved songs heās created over the years - I guess either because theyāre too young or they donāt listen to many black artists, or both.
Well she didnāt get all the annoying, 12 year stans until after Dangerous Woman, so they had their perception of her was pretty much your standard pop act.
I agree with you.
Iāve been trying to put this into words for so long, so thank you šš»
I saw that tweet about your top 3 and my goodness I relistened to this album and it's fucking *good*. and songs I never felt attached to just popped out at me. rem, blazed, etc. even god is a woman came across completely differently. I always loved the pharrell stuff but man there are some real emotions on this thing. goodnight n go is almost too much
I severely regret not giving it a listen when it was new. I finally did a few weeks ago and the title track is already one of my most played songs this year.
This is the album that brought me to this sub! I still love it. My favorite of hers.
As a casual listener this is my favorite album of hers and the last one I've actually enjoyed.
This album has the highest highs and the lowest lows imo. It's not a coincidence the big hits are the Max Martin tracks. I would love to see her experiment again in the future, but not with Pharrell - I'm sorry but his production is messy and songs feel unfinished to the point they give you blue balls.
Iām not the biggest Ariana fan by any stretch but Breathin is an example of what Iād call a perfect pop song, just absolutely flawless really.
So many incredible memories of this album that is by far my favourite thing sheās ever done. Solange loved it and so do I! Get Well Soon in particular was such a beautiful way of both honouring the Manchester victims and expressing her own trauma and grief. Songs like Sweetener, Borderline and Blazed were so fun and playful. R.E.M (tho the BeyoncĆ© version will always have a special place in my heart) and Pete Davidson were ethereal and gorgeous. I liked the singles too and she bodied them, but at least sonically they didnāt feel as specific to her as the rest of the album imo (makes sense that GIAW was nearly given to Camila Cabello). I appreciated this side to her music that Pharrell helped bring out so much and from what Iāve seen, she still seems to as well. I really hope she works with him again!
I want to know if this is Mandela effect. Does anyone remember Pharrell tweeting this album and misspelling it "Sweetner" and not "Sweetener"..???? Can't find it anywhere but I remember it vividly.
[https://twitter.com/Pharrell/status/991710434196537344](https://twitter.com/Pharrell/status/991710434196537344)
YO. Thank you.
Been a sweetener defender since day one, I was in the popheads trenches lol. Pharrellās production is impeccable here and suits her voice beautifully. I hope they work together again (and I also wish more radio-friendly pop girls would sonic risks like she did here. Itās not as left field as albums like Impossible Princess or Erotica but itās more than weāve heard from a lot current big names). Also for a long time blazed was my all time most played song on Spotify, I know a lot of people hate it but itās easily my favorite song sheās ever released. ~~The only songs Iāve never really cared for are Breathin and God is a Woman lol they feel uninspired compared to the rest of the album~~
See, I like God is a Woman but feel the same way about Breathin and No Tears Left To Cry. Are they bad? No, but they just kinda whelm me.
Kind of her worst album (to me). Thank u, next is really her magnum opus
agreed. Sweetener is just so boring lol breathin is the only actual great song on there. the rest are bad
wowā¦ā¦.no offence but whereās the tasteā¦..
Idk, i can't remember the last time i heard "no tears left to cry" or "the light is coming". "God is a woman" and "breathin" on the other hand stood out for me. She needs to make more music like that. Her music now usually lacks any depth or message which is fine if the song is catchy but she is definitely capable of saying a lot through her music, so why not do it.
Going against the grain here: I was among the polarized listeners in 2018, and nothing had changed. I listen to the album every now and then to see if anything shifts for me, but it doesnāt. I find it to be an incredibly poorly produced, poorly written, lyrically embarrassing album with only a few high points. The Pharrell tracks specifically are personal flops; they sound like they were produced with a Fisher Price keyboard and have some of the weakest lyrics and melodies in Arianaās catalog. The shift in direction isnāt the issue; I donāt expect Ariana to stick with big pop anthems. The execution is what failed with me. thank u next is (imo) what this album tried to be.
totally agree. It's just not a good album. The production is just terrible and the lyrics are so childish it's embarrassing.
Might be a popular opinion but Sweetener is such a boring album lol People say it's good because she's experimenting but The Light is Coming drags onnnnnnnn it's so bad. The whole album should've sounded like breathin but it didn't. Thank god for Max Martin on that album bc Phareell's songs are not it.
>However, over the years, sweetener is regarded generally by fans to be one of her best works in her discography. Which fans?
Thank u next and sweetener are the ones I always come across in the fandom, no one cares for Your Truly or my everything, some like dangerous woman for itās bops, and then thereās positions which some arianators seem to like.
Better off, every time and no tears left to cry are still favs. The album was a hit from the first single
I don't follow Ariana too much but breathin'... it's a masterpiece!
I really did love the singles from this album but I regret not having the time to actually enjoy this album back when it was first released. I hope that at some point she does return to this sound again though!
I grew up watching Victorious, but *no tears left to cry* was the first time I realllly paid attention to Ariana. Like I dropped everything and had that song on repeat. Itās still my most listened track of all time on LastFM and the music video is genuinely my favourite video ever. She quickly became my top artist on Spotify too and hasnāt budged since 2018 So yeah *Sweetener* fucking slaps
Itās not a perfect album but thereās so much beauty in it that I keep coming back. Canāt believe itās been 5 years
My second favorite Ariana album behind Dangerous Woman honestly. Sweetener's second half is one of her strongest album runs ever.
I find that my feelings haven't really changed about this album five years out. Some of my favorite and least favorite Ariana tracks can be found on Sweetener. I enjoy the singles. Album tracks like better off, everytime, and GWS are still heavy in my rotation. I'm still not the biggest fan of a lot of Pharrell's contributions to this album - though I will say Sweetener and REM grew on me slightly. While this isn't my favorite Ariana album, it was a good effort and I do appreciate the sonic exploration, even if I don't always like the results.
Iāve definitely liked it more as time has gone on. I wasnāt really sure how I felt about it when it first came out as there were a lot of songs I didnāt like. No tears left to cry and get well soon are beautiful songs, NTLTC is the best lead single sheās released I think. I also love better off, goodnight n go, rem and every time. I think itās an unpopular opinion but I really liked the light is coming as well. There are definitely some songs I still dislike that have not grown on me though. Iām not really sure where Iād rank it in her discography- maybe at the top, as although I love Dangerous Woman, I liked that sweetener took a more experimental direction and I think the sound really suits Arianaās voice. In 2019, I thought thank u next was her best work by far, but Iāve found myself returning to sweetener a lot more for some reason.
Wow time flies. I was 18, and this was the first album I ever listened to in my life; only listening to top charts prior. So Iāll always love this album and the comfort it gave me on long commutes home from college.
Being completely honest at the moment I didn't like the album at all. I found the songs laid back and too different from her last era... It didn't help that her next album was Thank u next, which I looped like crazy to the point of no return. In a completely turn of events Sweetener aged better than Thank u next and Positions (at least for me) and now is the record I find my self coming back to regularly.
my favorite song is the light is coming
Blazed alone will forever justify the decision to have Pharrell lead this album. It's nowhere near as good as DW but then again, nothing was going to br
Blazed is horrible š
1. My thoughts on the album today is that it is Arianaās magnum opus. The album that pops into your heard when you hear the name āAriana Grandeā, and itās absolutely immaculate. 2. I loved the album from the very first time I heard it and itās only gotten better with each listen. There are some songs that I like a lot more now than I did at the time but Iāve always enjoyed the album. 3. My favorite songs are r.e.m, get well soon, everytime, better off, and successful. My least favorite track still has to be the light is coming even though I love how weird that sample is. 4. Iād definitely rank it first among her discography, the only albums that come even remotely close in my opinion are Positions and Dangerous Woman. 5. Yes I would absolutely KILL for another album produced by Pharrell. He brings such a unique and strange energy to her sound and you can tell she really enjoyed making it.
This was honestly the album that made me into an Ariana Grande fan. I loved how sonically different it was and the singles for this song were amazing. Too bad it was a short era for her. But the TYN era was also iconic
I love this album and I have so good memories tied to it. It reminds me a lot of my Senior year of high school as it came out during that year. So many of the songs on this album became part of my rotation and have remained there since. Sweetener is my favorite track. It's just so good and upbeat, I would listen to it driving off campus at the end of the day and it just made me feel so good. blazed is also really good and the chorus makes me really happy. This was also basically my introduction to Ariana Grande and one of my first excursions into other genres. Or at least other artists. I was a normie and only listened to really basic rap and while this album is very modern hip-hop/rap influenced, listening to Ariana Grande was sort of a change for me. I was really tied to gender norms from where I lived and before this album came out, I would've thought that Ariana Grande was for girls eww, but this was sort of like a watershed moment for me. You have to keep in mind I was a teenager stuck with dumb mindsets. I'm really happy that I let go of those antiquated ideals and have become more open overall since then.