When looking at 5’ 1” and petite, 21-year old Ariana Grande, it may be quite surprising to find that she has such a strong voice.
Born and raised in Boca Raton, Florida, to Italian parents, the former television star dropped her second studio album My Everything three weeks ago on August 25th.
The album is a nice display of Grande’s vocal talents, with dance, balladry, and hip-hop. The album has six tracks that feature rappers, including Nicki Minaj, Iggy Azalea, and Big Sean.
Ariana Grande has been compared to Mariah Carey, most likely for her willingness to perform duos with hip-hop artists, and her ballads. Of her singing influences, she seems to name Whitney Houston most often.
My Everything begins with a short intro, a soft and delicate piece where Grande sweetly promises all she has.
The second track is the lead single “Problem,” featuring Iggy Azalea. The song revolves around the thought, “I got one less problem without cha,” where Grande and Azalea say how their lives would be better “without cha.” The single peaked at #2 on the Billboard Hot 100.
There are two ballads on the album. First is “Just a Little Bit of Your Heart,” which sets the tone of the song with a light piano, and then violin. In this piece, Grande cannot quite find the exact words to communicate her feelings about this lover of hers. She knows she is not his only, but admits she is a fool for him, and helplessly settles for being that fool. She only wants to make sure that she gets a little bit of his heart.
The second ballad, which is toward the end of the album, is the title track “My Everything.” It is about a love lost; a beautiful piece. The singer says that this lost love was not her everything until they were nothing. Later in the song she clarifies her feelings, saying that he was her everything, until they were nothing.
An R&B track “Only 1,” one of the bonus tracks in the deluxe edition, has a hip-hop touch and is an ode to a man whose love she finds hard to believe is only hers. This is due in part to his looks. She wonders if this is too good to be true, and contemplates whether or not she is possibly his only one.
“Love Me Harder,” a duet with The Weeknd, an Ethiopian-Canadian singer, is a pulsating, erotic cut about lovemaking. The song is a bit funky, soothing, and tingly.
The song featuring Childish Gambino, “Break Your Heart Right Back,” may remind some of Mariah Carey.
The album’s second single, the EDM tune “Break Free,” peaked at #4 on the Billboard Hot 100. It is about giving in to breaking free from a relationship.
Overall, My Everything is a solid album. Although this is the singer’s second #1 album on the Billboard 200, Ariana Grande has officially arrived to the music scene.
Dahnje Marceo
Staff Writer
dmarceo@ucmerced.edu