Ariana time

Ariana Grande is hard to qualify for a bitter middle-aged white guy like myself. Her vocals are technically incredible, in the Whitney Houston diva-esque category. She looks amazing, albeit a little skinny (I thought that fad had gone?). She’s funny and knows how to handle an interview, let alone an SNL episode. She can act outright as well. In other words, she’s the full package.

And her music can be good.

This is where my bitchiness comes out, I suppose: over the years, she’s been known to surf on musical trends, as one does (see: Taylor Swift, Sabrina Carpenter, Madonna…). In and of itself, that is no criticism: music does evolve and the best of the best follow, or ideally lead. Either way, they don’t stay idle. One could argue some of her electro-pop work sounded a little too radio-polished at times. Even though it was highly successful.

The point is, her identity didn’t always come through the way Taylor Swift’s would. Her lyrics don’t always feel eminently personal. Or, if they are, not necessarily vulnerable: she can be witty, kinky, serious… but you wouldn’t necessarily grasp her thought process from her songs. Or her interviews, for that matter. Therein lies the difficulty of pop music: crafting music that is both mainstream, i.e. heard and appreciated by many people from many walks of life, while also making it personal and clearly identifiable.

That, incidentally, is the definition of great marketing. And that is what Madonna did brilliantly for decades (arguably a little less so now), that is what Elton John or Billy Joel did (not to make it seem like I only mention women here), that is what Taylor Swift does better than anyone today (and arguably beyond) — even though her voice is not Ariana’s. And that is, perhaps, the one thing the would elevate the latter to the stratospheric heights of her colleague.

Ariana’s newest single, “hate that i made you love me”, is on the right track. Introducing her upcoming 8th full-length album, it serves as a fresh and sophisticated piece of pop music that does stand out in the current Spotify mix. There is something peculiar about this high-pitched pre-chorus that serves her voice so well, these interesting sonic experiments in the background and these cleverly chosen chords in the chorus itself… And the song rightfully shot to #1 on Billboard.

The kicker? It was produced by Max Martin, the man who made Britney Spears… and recently did wonders for Taylor Swift. Rarefied air.