NEW YORK (AP) — Gone is the big-belter Ariana Grande. On “Petal,” her eighth studio album and first full-length release since both the end of her “Wicked” run and 2024’s “Eternal Sunshine,” the pop powerhouse looks inward across 12 tracks of real restraint.Lead single “Hate That I Made You Love Me,” with its muted reception and slinky hook, offered a direct taste of the vibe shift to come. The track, which became Grande’s 10th No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100, is marked by subdued vocal delivery that comes alive with its bubbling, arpeggiated synths and soft-pop chorus courtesy of Grande and her producers — Ilya Salmanzadeh, whom she has worked with since 2018’s “Sweetener,” and the Swedish enigma Max Martin. Upon first listen, it felt like a bit of a test: Could the artist known for outsinging her competition pull off an understated vocal performance? “I hate that I made you love me,” she sings — to whom is up for interpretation. “‘Cause I barely tried.”
There is an ease and effortlessness to the stickiest moments, and that’s true of the bulk of the 12 songs that make up “Petal.” Peppy production returns on “Oh Well,” distracting from its clear kiss-off in the lyrics. “Good things can replace dysfunction, obsession,” she sings. “Thanks, but I’ll see you right out / Good luck on your way to hell / Oh well!”There is a variety of textures here, and they are cooler than ever before — nearing lackadaisical, but still retaining a lot of charm.
