Ariana Grande’s music career has been worth the frame from the start. Every one of her albums has at least one song that defined a year. But when looking at impact, growth, chart performance, and overall appeal to its audience, some projects are simply stronger than others.
- My Everything (2014)
Despite being at the bottom of the list, My Everything received lots of love from fans. According to Billboard, four songs (“Problem” at number two, “Bang Bang at number three, “Break Free” at number four, and “Love Me Harder” at number seven) on the album made the Hot 100 Top 10 Hits. This being her sophomore album, it tracked very similarly to her debut album while leaning more towards the mainstream pop that was trending at its time of release. While it earned Grande her well-deserved recognition, the album felt like every song was an attempt to please the audience and raise awareness of her presence in music rather than her choosing to embrace her own style.
- Yours Truly (2013)
Yours Truly is the perfect example of what a debut album should consist of. She shows off her core strengths of better production in music. Her insane vocals are embedded in every song, perfect and hard to ignore. It introduced many people to her talent with songs like “The Way” with Mac Miller, which reached the Top 10 on the Billboard Hot 100. The album was very popular for its time, and while it gave its audience lots of hits, it was tailored for the time that it was originally released in 2013. The album has a very early 2010s feel to it, which is why it was so successful for its prime time, but not her best piece.
- Sweetener (2018)
Sweetener won the Grammy for Best Pop Vocal Album back in 2019, making it Grande’s first of three Grammys won to date. It debuted at No. 1 and gave her discography a softer feel after the previous album, Dangerous Woman. Songs like “No Tears Left to Cry,’ “God Is a Woman,” and “Breathin” all landed in the U.S. top fifteen on the Billboard Hot 100. The album itself, however, isn’t very cohesive, and the tracks seem a little uneven next to one another, making it less memorable after a listen.
- Dangerous Woman (2016)
Dangerous Woman marked a huge shift for Ariana Grande in her music career. It was her third studio album, and it changed how she was viewed in the media. The title track, along with other hits like “Into You” and “Side to Side”, pushed her further into mature pop music. It’s safe to say that this is the era when people started taking Grande more seriously. Billboard records show a consistent success during the time of its release. Not only was Grande more confident in herself, but her vocals had never been stronger. Dangerous Women was a huge turning point in her image and the start of shaping a bolder edge to her music career.
- thank u, next (2019)
thank u, next, was a cultural masterpiece. It stands tall as probably one of the most memorable pop albums of the late 2010s. Released just six months after her previous album, Sweetener, the album very quickly overtook streaming records and debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200. This album overshadows the rest because it feels like Grande is finally stepping into a style of music that suits her the best. It’s honest, loud, and a little messy in the best way.
- Positions (2020)
Positions was originally released in 2020, with an additional deluxe version coming out in 2021. It debuted at No. 1, and the title track for this album did the same on the Hot 100. The album shifts just slightly higher than thank u, next because instead of chaos and heartbreak, Positions leans further into a confidence found in the security of relationships. It was a more grown-up style of storytelling while still keeping her signature soft matured tone in music. It was possibly her most cohesive project; all the songs were similar and collected into the collection perfectly. It might not be her most famous or successful project, but just because it wasn’t as explosive as the others doesn’t mean the production with Grande’s vocals makes it still perfect.
- eternal sunshine (2023)
eternal sunshine earns the spot of No. 1 because it’s Grande’s most emotional and artistically rich project she has released yet. The album feels like a turning point in her music career that she hasn’t reached before. It represents being vulnerable without being messy, and being mature without losing her signature warmth. Instead of striving to reach for the big pop titles and chart-dominating goals most artists go for, Grande created an album that is perfectly tailored to her lifestyle and taste for that time in her life. Nevertheless, it still debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 in March 2024, making this Grande’s sixth No. 1 album. When she released a deluxe version, eternal sunshine deluxe: brighter days ahead, with six previously unreleased songs, the album went from No. 87 back to No. 1 on the Billboard 200. With the album’s successes paired with the emotional impact, eternal sunshine is truly the peak of her discography.
