Ariana Grande released Thank U, Next, her fifth studio album, on Thursday at midnight. The 12-track collection includes the title track and “7 Rings,” both of which previously debuted at Number One on the Hot 100.
While working on Thank U, Next, Grande returned to the studio with a number of longtime collaborators, including Tommy “TB Hits” Brown, Victoria Monét and Savan Kotecha. She also recruited some new names: Justin Tranter, known for his work with Justin Bieber and Selena Gomez, Andrew “Pop” Wansel, who has produced hits for Usher and Alessia Cara, and the duo Nova Wav, who played a major role on the Carters’ surprise album Everything Is Love last year.
Grande’s latest LP comes less than six months after her last full-length, Sweetener. In between albums, the singer released an impressive string of hits that culminated with “7 Rings,” which is currently enjoying a second week at Number One. Most singers are lucky to get one single into heavy rotation on pop radio, but Grande has three at once, a remarkable feat. Those tracks combined to reach more than 145 million Top 40 listeners on the airwaves last week, according to Nielsen BDS.
Despite Grande’s success, she will not be attending or performing at the Grammys on Sunday. The award show’s producer, Ken Ehrlich, claimed Grande would be absent because she “felt it was too late for her to pull something together.”
The singer took to Twitter on Thursday to correct the record. “I’ve kept my mouth shut but now you’re lying about me,” Grande wrote. “I can pull together a performance over night and you know that, Ken. It was when my creativity & self expression was stifled by you that I decided not to attend.” She described the Grammys as “just a game” before adding, “I’m sorry, but that’s not what music is to me.”