5 reasons to say ‘Thank U’ for Ariana Grande’s new album

Ariana Grande has already said “Thank U, Next” to “Sweetener.”

Just six months after releasing her Grammy-nominated last album, the ponytailed diva has returned with her fifth studio LP, which she surprise-dropped early Friday. It comes at the perfect time for fans who won’t get to see Grande perform at the Grammys on Sunday due to creative differences that she says she had with the producers. (Looks like she started a trend, too.)

Aside from the No. 1 hits “Thank U, Next” and “7 Rings,” here are five highlights of her new album to keep Arianators happy:

“Imagine”

After this ballad was released as an album teaser track in December, some Twitter sleuths suggested it was about Grande’s late ex Mac Miller because he had “Imagine” tattooed on his arm. Whatever was the inspiration, the “Thank U, Next” opener is a sexy, soulful slow jam — complete with some Mariah-esque dog-whistle notes — that puts the focus squarely on the singer’s voice, where it belongs.

“Fake Smile”

Doo-wop meets hip-hop on this mid-tempo track, which gets some of its old-school soul from a sample of Wendy Rene’s 1964 Stax single “After Laughter (Comes Tears).” With a melancholy lyric about not being able to fake the funk, it’s a nice change-up for Grande, taking her into Amy Winehouse territory.

“Bad Idea”

One of three tracks co-produced and cowritten by mega-producer Max Martin — a Grande go-to for hits such as “Problem,” “Break Free,” “Dangerous Woman” and “No Tears Left to Cry” — this is one of their more adventurous efforts, seamlessly blending EDM and trap

“Ghostin”

If “Imagine” might be about Miller, then “Ghostin” is definitely about another one of Grande’s exes, Pete Davidson. On this dreamy ballad, Grande alludes to the pain of Miller’s death possibly contributing to her breakup with Davidson: “I know that it breaks your heart/When I cry again over him/I know that it breaks your heart/When I cry again instead of ghostin’ him.”

“Break Up with Your Girlfriend, I’m Bored”

First off, this one wins for the best title. Playing like a sassy sequel to “Thank U, Next,” which it follows to close the album, this is a bad-girl anthem about wanting to take somebody else’s man, if only for a boredom-curing booty call.

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