Musical Hugs: 5
Ariana Grande - Sweetener
This weeks musical hug is Ariana Grande’s recent album Sweetener. Before this album, I actually wasn’t much of an Ariana fan… I respected her and liked her as an artist, but couldn’t quite manage to fall in love with her (sometimes, sickly) sweet voice. Then, everything changed with the release of Sweetener. The two songs that stand out for me most are ‘no tears left to cry’ and ‘breathin’ - both of which cover the ideas of struggling and recovering through mental health issues. They are both also really good to jog too, fyi.
Although I don’t want to define her artistry through this, it is also known that Ariana has been through her fair share of shit, especially recently, so loving and savouring her music has that extra sense of importance and gratitude. She, along with many of us, keep surviving and breathing (pun intended) through this scary world.
The songs are beautiful and fun, and are the perfect anecdote for when you’re feeling a bit grey on these greying days, or when you need some motivation to get through your day.
Listen here:
