After a successful summer release of her new album “Sweetener,” Ariana Grande is back with an unexpected new single “Thank u, next.” Breaking the common two year album life cycle, this song is the first from a new album that will be released before the end of the year. This song is her first ever to debut at number one on the Billboard music charts.

The new single released just before midnight on Nov. 3. Snce then, it has skyrocketed in popularity, garnering 29 million streams on Spotify. The song is about Ariana looking back at her past relationships and reflecting on what she learned from them.

In the song she sings, “Thought I’d end up with Sean, But he wasn’t a match. Wrote some songs about Ricky, Now I listen and laugh. Even almost got married, And for Pete, I’m so thankful – Wish I could say, ‘Thank you’ to Malcolm, ‘Cause he was an angel.”

In that opening stanza, Ariana beckons back to her past relationships like the very public one with Pete Davidson this year, to more serious ones like Mac Miller (Malcolm) who passed away earlier this year. This song is a reflection on what happened in her life and how it has shaped who she is today.

The single itself has an upbeat pop tempo, which makes the chorus catchy and the song addictive.

The “God is a Woman” singer continues after a chorus of “Thank u, next,” to show how she’s grown as a person.

In May 2017, a terrorist attack in Manchester killed 22 people leaving her concert on the “Dangerous Woman” tour, which was traumatizing to those impacted, including Ariana. Since then, she has been outspoken about her anxiety, tweeting “i felt like i was floating for like 3 months last year & not in a nice way. [It was] like i [was] outside my body? [It] was v scary and i couldn’t breathe well.”

After recovering from such a rough year, she celebrates spending more time to get to know herself with the lyric: “Plus, I met someone else, We havin’ better discussions. I know they say I move on too fast, But this one gon’ last ‘Cause her name is Ari.”

She ends the song optimistically by singing, “I’ve got so much love…I’ve learned from the pain… [and] I turned out amazing.” This song is excellent for its combination of pop sounds and self-reflective lyrics. I would give “Thank u, next” a 10/10.