What Does It Mean for Her? – Billboard

Ariana Grande is again: After three years of relative quiet (exterior of a chart-topping Weeknd collab right here or there), the pop celebrity returned earlier this month with the lead single from her upcoming Everlasting Sunshine album, “Sure, And?”

The home-flavored new music, supplied largely in response to gossip about her private life and physique picture within the intervening years, debuts at No. 1 on the Billboard Scorching 100 this week, edging previous Jack Harlow’s reigning champ “Lovin on Me.” The music was helped excessive by a wide range of remixes and edits, which assisted the music’s 2024-best gross sales debut (53,000).

What does Grande’s new music portend about her new period? And can the music stick round for a very long time to come back? Billboard staffers focus on these questions and extra under.

1. “Sure, And?” debuts atop the Billboard Scorching 100, albeit in a more in-depth race with second-place-finisher “Lovin on Me” than some may need anticipated. Do you count on the music to be a long-lasting prime pop hit, or extra of a fast re-introduction of Grande’s new period earlier than the remainder of the Everlasting Sunshine rollout?

Rania Aniftos: Grande’s standout hits from her albums are not often the lead single, and I feel that can in all probability be the case with Everlasting Sunshine as effectively. I’m hoping for a much less controversial monitor that truly represents the expansion that Ari sees in herself over the subsequent few weeks, and I hope that’s the one which stands the check of time!

Kyle Denis: I feel that is positively extra of a fast re-introduction of Grande to the pop music scene. Rumors are already swirling a few new single arriving as early as subsequent month, so I’d think about we get at the very least yet one more style of the album earlier than March 8. With that being mentioned, I additionally don’t suppose “Sure, And?” will freefall down the Scorching 100. I doubt it spends a number of weeks at No. 1, however as soon as it hits its stride on radio, it ought to find yourself being a stable hit that seemingly follows an analogous chart run to her personal “No Tears Left to Cry.”

Joe Lynch: I don’t see it being an ongoing menace for the No. 1 spot in the way in which that “Thank U, Subsequent” and “7 Rings” dominated, however in the case of Ari’s Scorching 100-toppers, even a music just like the Justin Bieber collab “Caught With U” – in all probability her least beloved single to prime the Scorching 100 – remained on that chart for 18 weeks. She has a tremendous voice that’s well-suited to the present radio panorama and she or he streams effectively, so I count on it to stay round… however could be stunned to see it at No. 1 for greater than 2 weeks in whole.  

Meghan Mahar: I feel that “Sure, And?” has the potential to grow to be a extra dominant No. 1 over “Lovin on Me,” however it finally serves as a protected introduction to her Everlasting Sunshine period. Traditionally, dance and dance-adjacent hits have carried out effectively for Grande — however I really feel that this was an opportune time to launch a music like “Sure, And?” that’s lighthearted and club-friendly. There was a transparent demand for these songs, as we’ve seen with the success of releases together with David Guetta and Bebe Rexha’s “I’m Good (Blue),” Troye Sivan’s “Rush,” and Dua Lipa’s “Houdini.”

Andrew Unterberger: It appears more likely to me to observe a “Vampire”-type trajectory: Simply the one week on prime, however at the very least a handful within the prime 10, and a long term within the prime 40 as radio picks up on it. Not an era-defining smash, however large enough to re-announce Grande’s presence with authority as wanted.

2. It’s already been over three years because the launch of her most up-to-date album, 2020’s Positions. Do you suppose Grande’s returning to pop music in 2024 in stronger, weaker or about the identical standing as when she left?

Rania Aniftos: It’s a tricky query, as a result of whereas musically, she’s returning to pop in an equally highly effective place as she left it, her public picture has been a bit compromised over the previous 12 months as a consequence of headlines surrounding her relationship. I’ve already been seeing fan reactions to the music, expressing disappointment on the sentiment regardless of liking how catchy the monitor is — with longtime supporters feeling uncomfortable giving her streams and listening to the music. If she will be able to gracefully navigate the private elements of her public notion, I feel she’s geared as much as create a Thank U, Subsequent-like splash together with her upcoming album.

Kyle Denis: Stronger. Though the cut up opinions relating to her romantic life are extremely loud on the Web, Grande is returning to the scene as an elder stateswoman of kinds. Final 12 months, she celebrated the ten-year anniversary of her pop recording profession, she has a blockbuster movie (Depraved: Half One) on the horizon, and she or he already had 5 No. 1 hits this decade earlier than “Sure, And?” was introduced. You’d be hard-pressed to discover a post-Grande pop star who can match her string of high quality hit singles over the previous decade – and that’s why her absence was so deeply felt. Simply 5 years in the past, Grande’s identify was among the many checklist of stars who had numerous hits and no Scorching 100 chart-toppers. Now, she’s anticipated to debut at No. 1 virtually each time she releases music. If that doesn’t make it clear how a lot her place in pop’s hierarchy has modified, I don’t know what would!

Joe Lynch: Pop is such a youth-oriented (youth-obsessed, actually) market that it’s exhausting to fake like 4 years is nothing — and but, did she actually go away? Ten months in the past, she topped the Scorching 100 with the Weeknd duet “Die For You,” and her fashionable seasonal staple (“Santa Inform Me”) reached an all-time peak this month. It is likely to be a brand new period, however don’t name it a comeback. Inside a pair share factors for error, I’d say she’s as robust as when Positions dropped. 

Meghan Mahar: Stronger. Headlines about Grande within the time since Positions, whether or not they had been about her relationships or teasers of her work on Depraved, stored her within the information cycle and fueled curiosity in her subsequent venture. What actually provides her a aggressive edge, although, is the general public’s want for a pop celebrity. Many have launched profitable initiatives and grown to nice heights over the previous few years, however none have Grande’s creative imaginative and prescient and vocal capabilities.

Andrew Unterberger: Possibly just a little stronger. It’s exhausting to recollect the final time a pop star was as palpably missed within the prime 40 world as Ariana has been in her relative absence — if the recognition of Tate McRae’s “Grasping” and Sabrina Carpenter’s “Nonsense” 12 months had been any indication, followers had been virtually champing on the bit for Grande-sized radio singles. Possibly some followers have turned on her, however as Doja Cat has confirmed a number of occasions this decade, hits resolve nearly every part — and Grande has by no means been briefly provide of these.

3. “Sure, And?” adopts a reasonably house-forward sound for Grande, leading to her first-ever No. 1 on the Dance/Digital Songs Chart. Do you suppose that foreshadows a full pivot to bounce with Everlasting Sunshine — and do you hope it does?

Rania Aniftos: I do! It’s a enjoyable pivot for an artist who has been round for greater than a decade at this level. It retains issues recent, not just for her but in addition for her followers, and it performs on the nostalgia development in music currently as a consequence of its 80s sound. With a reputation like Everlasting Sunshine, she has to have some enjoyable on this album, proper?

Kyle Denis: No. In the identical method that “Harmful Girl” didn’t foreshadow an album of theatrical pop bangers and “No Tears” didn’t preview an LP stuffed with U.Ok. garage-inflected anthems, I don’t suppose “Sure, And?” is signaling a full dance pivot. To not point out, Grande has dabbled with this sound earlier than (2016’s “Be Alright”), so it isn’t precisely new for her. I feel Everlasting Sunshine will mix the perfect of her capabilities throughout pop and R&B like every of her final six efforts. Regardless that I’m not essentially hoping for Everlasting Sunshine to be a full dance document, I’ll gladly embrace it ought to that find yourself being the case.

Joe Lynch: Dance Ariana has at all times been considered one of my favourite Arianas (“Break Free” is GOAT) however the house-forward sound did shock me a bit, just because two main artists (Beyoncé and Drake) boosted that sound again to the broader public in 2022. I’m by no means indignant at listening to home music, however it does appear to be she’s following a development on this one. So whereas I’d have fun a dance LP, I’m hoping there are some sonic surprises afoot that push pop ahead.   

Meghan Mahar: As a lot as I’d personally love a full dance document, I don’t suppose that’s going to occur. Grande has had a number of dance and dance-adjacent tracks prior to now: “Break Free” with Zedd (2014) and “Into You” (2016) got here to thoughts after I heard “Sure, And?” and each got here from albums with a stable vary of sounds. The success of “Rain on Me” with Woman Gaga (one other No. 1 debut) was seemingly an element that knowledgeable the discharge of this music. I really feel that “Sure, And?” foreshadows Grande referencing her previous sounds and eras, however from a extra mature place in her life.

Andrew Unterberger: It’s exhausting for me to see Grande going full membership vitality for a full album. Not that she couldn’t pull it off, however her truest candy spot to me remains to be within the cozy confines of a soul-pop ballad or midtempo quantity, and I don’t suppose she’d need to restrict herself strictly to the higher BPM ranges for all of Everlasting Sunshine. I’m betting this music mainly serves for its dad or mum album as “No Tears Left to Cry” did for Sweetener: a blast to kick off her new period, which finally proves to forecast solely a small little bit of what the remainder of the album has to supply.

4. The chart-topping debut for “Sure, And?” provides Max Martin his 24^th No. 1 as a producer, transferring him into sole possession of the all-time document. Do you suppose anybody will go his mark anytime quickly?

Rania Aniftos: Except Mariah Carey enters a production-focused period of her profession, I actually doubt it. He’s dominating by a landslide amongst producers who’re alive. 

Kyle Denis: I feel this document is Max Martin’s to maintain for a protracted whereas. Ought to Dr. Luke proceed to seek out work regardless of his public fall from grace, it’s doable he’ll catch as much as him. Nonetheless, I don’t suppose the producer who passes Max’s mark has gotten their begin but.

Joe Lynch: Nicely, I don’t suppose his runner-up (George Martin) goes to show a lot competitors within the 2020s, however Dr. Luke – who has produced or co-produced 18 No. 1s – may slim the hole within the upcoming years. Even so, I feel it’s fairly unlikely that anybody that he, or anybody, will take the lead from Max within the subsequent 5 to 10 years.  

Meghan Mahar: No— the primary runner up, Dr. Luke, is 6 songs behind Martin’s 24 No. 1 document and Martin isn’t displaying any indicators of slowing down. In latest occasions, it appears as if Dr. Luke has been working with a greater diversity of artists, whereas Martin has dedicated extra time to initiatives with a smaller roster. Martin’s technique has paid off and aligned him with superstars and a few of their greatest initiatives, like Taylor Swift’s 1989 (2014) and The Weeknd’s Daybreak FM (2022). Securing this stage of status takes a profession lifetime to attain.

Andrew Unterberger: It’s Martin’s to lose. You would have a look at somebody like Jack Antonoff and suppose “Nicely, if he stays as Taylor Swift’s go-to man for the remainder of the last decade, may that alone be sufficient to get him there?” However as ubiquitous as Antonoff has appeared for almost a decade now, he nonetheless solely has 5 No. 1s to his identify — which implies he’d want about three a 12 months from now till 2030 to beat Martin’s present whole. Not unimaginable, however the head begin that Martin has amassed in his near-30-year profession — and he ain’t accomplished but — isn’t a niche that anybody will be capable to bridge with out placing in a long time of their very own high-level work. And possibly not then, both.

5. What’s one factor not likely lined by “Sure, And?” that you just’d like to listen to or see from Ariana Grande on this new album and its accompanying promotional cycle?

Rania Aniftos: I don’t know if this essentially solutions the query, however I really like how concerned Jim Carrey was on The Weeknd’s Daybreak FM, and since Everlasting Sunshine bought its identify from Carrey’s 2004 movie, it solely is smart for him to be on the album in some capability. 

Kyle Denis: Whereas “Sure, And?” is a superb encapsulation of IDGAF vitality, I’d like to listen to extra about what’s been going by way of Grande’s head ever since Positions. What has it been like filming your dream position (Glinda in Depraved)? How have you ever handled all the interior and exterior pressures that include such an endeavor? Up to now few years, it’s clear Grande has accomplished a number of rising up. From her wardrobe and basic demeanor to her general aesthetic and relationship with social media, she’s clearly matured so much. And, after all, she went by way of a divorce within the public eye whereas juggling her music and performing careers; I’d like to see her dig into these ideas and feelings on Everlasting Sunshine, which, judging by the title’s allusion to Everlasting Sunshine of the Spotless Thoughts, she simply may do.

From a purely musical standpoint, I feel I’m most intrigued to listen to how Depraved has impacted her strategy to singing and songwriting. Might one other “Jason’s Track” be on the way in which? I definitely hope so!

Joe Lynch: I’m not saying I need to hear a dance remix of “Fashionable” on her album, however with the Depraved variations occupying a lot of her latest time, I’m champing on the bit to see Grande in full-on theater child mode as she hits the late-night promo cycle. (Shout-out to her efficiency in 2016’s Hairspray Dwell!) Do theater children run the chance of being a bit irritating? After all. However she’s virtually a nationwide icon. Let her hit. 

Meghan Mahar: I really like how Grande has showcased her versatility throughout her discography, however my favourite songs are the R&B selects and ballads. Her vocal vary emphasizes the eagerness behind her lyrics, whether or not they be about being deeply in love (“pov”) or in deep ache (“ghostin”). “Sure, And?” is such a enjoyable, carefree monitor — and I really like this! It makes me need to dance with my pals within the membership — however I additionally love a great cry. Her musical vulnerability, paired with behind-the-scenes content material or beautiful visuals (just like the “pov” Vevo efficiency) within the promo cycle, would additional cement her vary. 

Andrew Unterberger: Ariana Grande has spent most of her profession making pop for the bed room — would she ever contemplate going full bed room pop? Would love to listen to working with Woman in Crimson. A Laufey duet may very well be dope. And the way the hell have she and Billie Eilish (an avowed longtime Grande fan) nonetheless by no means labored collectively?