Why Ariana Grande is a master storyteller: What the radio doesn’t reveal.

I became an absolute Ariana Grande fan about three years ago. She released her fourth studio album, “Sweetener,” in August of 2018, and I decided to give it a listen. I instantly became addicted, and not because of her amazing, jaw-dropping vocals, which have been always present in her career. I was shocked to find how much I could relate to the album and many of the songs within.

The “Sweetener” album was all about positivity, light, and self-love, in addition to healing from the Manchester bombing at her concert in 2017. In a few of her songs on this album, she sang about anxiety and her experiences with mental health. I had never heard an artist do this, and as someone who has dealt with anxiety in my life, I was absolutely shocked to hear her put into words the ways in which I had felt before but never been able to verbalize.

Grande has produced six albums so far in her career, and as I said, I became a fan at her fourth. I believe that this is no mistake, and this is where she truly transformed to a highly-gifted storyteller. Ironically, and maybe purposefully, the art of Grande’s album covers mirror her storytelling journey and shift toward producing raw and “real” music. As seen in the picture at the beginning of this blog, her first three album covers are black and white, and her most recent three album covers are in color. I consider this turning point to be where her storytelling magic began and the point at which I became an absolute Arianator (the nickname for her fans).

She began to produce songs that normally people might keep in a notebook to themselves. Each album of hers is like a chapter of her life. How can a celebrity with 254 million Instagram followers produce music that so many fall in love with and relate to? Because she keeps it real and authentic. She experiences emotions that everyone experiences. This has become her brand. 

Her ability to put thoughts and feelings into words and lyrics is unmatched. So many times people listen to her music and think, “I’ve felt that way! But I’ve never known how to say it!” She has made songs about dreaming, wanting to be left alone, and loving how it feels when someone plays with her hair. So versatile. This authenticity has made her the THIRD most followed account on Instagram, behind Cristiano Ronaldo and Instagram itself (and come on, we all know why they are number one). She tops any Kardashian, artist, supermodel, political figure, or athlete (besides one) in the world.

Her fifth album, “thank u, next,” is considered one of the most raw, emotional works of any artist’s career. She surprise-dropped this album just six months after her fourth album because so much had changed in her life. She mourns the death of her ex-love and fellow music industry star, Mac Miller, she reveals what her mind went through leading up to breaking off her engagement with comedian Pete Davidson, and she ends on a note of independence and the need for alone-time. Once again, she put her life into her music, and people reacted with eager ears and deep gratitude.

Her most recent album, “positions,” which dropped in October of 2020, reflects the recent happier events of her life and pays homage to moving on from the past and falling head-first in love with the future. She sings bar after bar about her new engagement to a Californian luxury home real estate agent, and although she keeps her personal love-life with him very private, all of the details are honestly in her songs.

Additionally, Grande’s 2019 world tour, featuring her fourth and fifth albums, recently earned a documentary on Netflix, titled “excuse me, i love you,” which was a gift to her fans for lifting her throughout her tough life moments. The trailer is amazing, watch it here!

I encourage you to listen to her music (especially those most recent three albums). I promise you will relate to at least one of her songs. Of course not everyone will see themselves in every piece from any given artist, but once that personal connection is developed where you feel like you know them or could easily have a conversation with them, you instantly become a supporter and admirer of anything they produce.

Over Grande’s career, her brand has become purely authentic: through her music, her social media, her interviews, and more. Although the radio showcases her talent, it does not showcase her as a person or some of her best and most honest work. She is more than just a record-breaking pop star, and there is a reason for that! Please enjoy my favorite Ariana meme that sums up how I, among millions of others, feel: