Thank U, Next

Thank U, Next is the fifth studio album by American singer Ariana Grande. It was released on February 8, 2019, by Republic Records, six months after her fourth studio album Sweetener (2018). Songwriters and producers that collaborated with Grande on the album included Tommy Brown, Max Martin, Ilya Salmanzadeh and Pop Wansel.

Grande began working on Thank U, Next in October 2018 amidst several personal struggles, including the death of ex-boyfriend Mac Miller and the end of her engagement to Pete Davidson. She opted not to use the traditional promotion cycle employed for her previous releases. Primarily a pop, R&B and trap album, Thank U, Next was described as Grande's most personal record up to that point, with its lyrical content reflecting on personal flaws, grief and denial, as well as independence and self-empowerment.

The album was preceded by two singles: the title track and "7 Rings", both of which debuted atop the Billboard Hot 100 chart, becoming Grande's first two number-one songs in the United States. "Break Up with Your Girlfriend, I'm Bored" became the third single on the day of the album's release, peaking at number two on the Hot 100. All of the album's 12 tracks entered the Hot 100, with the singles occupying the top three spots, making Grande the first soloist to achieve this feat. The album topped the charts in 17 countries, and broke many streaming records upon release, including the records for the largest weekly streams for a pop album and a female album in the United States. It was certified double platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America, and landed at number two on the US Billboard 200 Year-End chart of 2019. Globally, it was the eighth best-selling album of 2019, and fourth best-selling album by a female artist.

Upon its release, Thank U, Next received critical acclaim, with praise for its cohesiveness, production, and Grande's vulnerability throughout the record. It was named by several publications as the best album of 2019 and was included in numerous year-end and decade-end lists. The album and its songs received nominations for four Grammy Awards (including Album of the Year), an American Music Award, a Billboard Music Award and a Juno Award. In support of both Sweetener and Thank U, Next, Grande embarked on the Sweetener World Tour from March to December 2019, which grossed over $146 million from 97 shows.

In August 2018, singer Ariana Grande's Sweetener was released to critical acclaim, her best received album to that point. Grande began contemplating her follow-up as she prepared touring. Republic Records sought to bolster Sweetener's global rollout by releasing "Breathin" as the third single, but the label abruptly postponed their promotional endeavors when Grande's old friend and ex-boyfriend, rapper Mac Miller, died from an accidental drug overdose in early September. Grande then took a brief hiatus from the media to record new material. By the following month, the still reticent singer expressed renewed interest in touring, one supporting both Sweetener and her forthcoming project, and she soon announced the initial leg of her Sweetener World Tour. At the same time, Grande ended her five-month engagement with comedian Pete Davidson.

Thank U, Next's recording commenced less than two months after the release of Sweetener. The producers conducted most of their recordings at Jungle City Studios in New York City and scheduled additional sessions in New York's Right Track Studios, MXM, Conway Recording Studios and the Record Plant in metropolitan Los Angeles, Wolf Cousins Studios in Stockholm, and Entirety Studios in London.

The fallout of Miller's death influenced Grande's choice of collaborators. She assembled Thank U, Next's production team from producers and songwriters with shared rapport to better cope with the trauma. Songwriters included her longtime collaborators Victoria Monet, Max Martin, Ilya Salmanzadeh, and Tommy Brown in addition to Tayla Parx, Social House, and others.

The development of Thank U, Next was unusually swift, but productive. Grande and her team wrote about nine songs in merely a week, and they completed most of the recording after another two weeks. Grande's team kept champagne in the studio, notably Veuve Clicquot, as later referenced in her collaboration with songwriter Victoria Monét, "Monopoly". Monét contributed to six songs, including "Ghostin", the first and simultaneously longest song to develop. Grande found creating "Ghostin" difficult and initially requested the song's exclusion from the final track listing.