Oct.14 began as an ordinary day before a tweet was sent out by Ariana Grande that sent her fans in a whirlwind. “I can’t wait to give u my album this month.” Sixteen days later, she released her sixth album, “Positions.” The title track, “Positions,” was released with an accompanying music video on Oct. 23 to fuel the fans’ excitement. Although Grande's last three albums had repeated themes about seeking love and coping with heartbreak, Grande takes the listeners on a journey into the singer’s mind regarding her explicit love life in “Positions”. “34+35” adds up to-well you do the math. In Grande’s most sexually explicit, it showcases her like never before as she boasts about the things she wants to do with her lover. Grande craves the affection and touch of her lover in “Nasty”. Not all the songs on the album were explicit. “Just Like Magic” is a love letter for Grande herself, as it radiates positivity and self-confidence following the singer’s current day-to-day schedule. “Shut Up” is an ode to Grande’s harsh critics as she avoids them, proceeding with her life. String instruments accompanied the song as her vocals were reminiscent of an Old Hollywood singer that would be best suited for a Christmas song. The singer’s fears about falling in love are seen in songs such as “Six Thirty” and “Safety Net”. In “Six Thirty”, she asks her lover about the limits of commitment. She asks her lover various scenarios and if they’re going to “ride with her until the end”. Grande has found a new love in “Safety Net”, and while it terrifies her, the thrill of the love is too exhilarating to deny. She lays out the complex emotions of hesitating to fall again with someone because of her past heartbreaks. “My Hair”, “West Side”, “Motive” and “Love Language” pay homage to 90s R&B and house music, which for me served as the album’s dynamic moment. As a fan, I appreciate and love Grande constantly expanding her horizons. This album explored Grande’s venture into the R&B world with songs that brought an Aaliyah vibe, which I thoroughly enjoyed. I felt the songs at times sounded similar with her pop-trap components, which I believe she should leave behind. While listening to the album, I found myself sometimes forgetting the song. For example, in “Safety Net”, I completely forgot it was a duet because Ty Dolla $ign gave an incredibly forgetful verse. Compared to her previous albums, I feel this album lacks artistic growth in lyricism. Despite the lack of lyrical growth, I found more new favorite Grande songs that will make an appearance to my playlist. 3 ½ stars
This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at Indy chapter.