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Ariana Grande is set to release her fifth studio album, "Thank U, Next," on February 8, marking her second full-length project in less than six months.
While Grande's latest No. 1 album "Sweetener" was largely about " bringing light to a situation or to someone's life , or somebody else who brings light to your life," her follow-up is "not particularly uplifting."
"A lot of it sounds really upbeat, but it's actually a super sad chapter," Grande told Billboard in December . She has also said that much of the album "mourns failed, yet important beautiful relationships in my life."
On Wednesday, Grande unveiled the cover art and tracklist. She also spent some time on Twitter answering fans' questions, revealing some juicy details about the meanings and inspirations behind many of the 12 songs.
Grande went into a creative flurry after the death of her ex-boyfriend Mac Miller in September and decline of her relationship with Pete Davidson in October and, according to the details Grande has provided on social media, much of the album will address the broken engagement and her love life at large.
Here's everything we know about each new song.
"Imagine" was the second song released off "Thank U, Next," although Grande was careful not to call it a "promo" single.
Grande said that if the song "Thank U, Next" explored "acceptance," then "Imagine" explores "denial."
She also described the inspiration for the song as "a simple, beautiful love that is now (and forever) unattainable."
Many fans believe that "Imagine" was written about Miller, whom Grande dated for two years before their split in May .
Read more: Here's all the evidence that Ariana Grande's new song 'Imagine' is about mourning Mac Miller
Fans have anxiously been awaiting "Needy" since Grande teased a snippet of the song back in early October.
It feels safe to assume that "Needy" is about Davidson, considering the song was written before their split, which was reported two weeks after Grande posted the snippet from the studio.
"I'm obsessive and I love too hard / Good at overthinking with my heart," Grande sings in one of the verses. "How you even think it got this far?"
Grande has displayed an affinity for all things space-related, like the alien emoji and tattoos of celestial bodies .
Some fans have theorized that "NASA" is actually a metaphor, perhaps about needing space from a person or a situation. Grande hasn't teased many details about this track, but she did admit it's "kind of" about literal space.
We also know that Victoria Mont,one of Grande's closest friends and collaborators, is a co-writer on the track. She called the song "brilliant."
Interestingly enough, during their first (and only) red carpet appearance as a couple, Davidson sported a "Sweetener" sweatshirt with an added NASA patch.
Grande revealed on Twitter that "Bloodline" is essentially about a love that's not strong enough for marriage or, in her own words , "wanting somebody but not enough to have them in your bloodline."
Grande has not yet revealed any details about the album's fifth track, "Fake Smile."
It's likely that "Fake Smile" samples Wendy Rene, a soul singer from the '60s, as she's listed as a co-writer on the track. Rene's most popular song is called "After Laughter (Comes Tears)."
We don't yet know anything about "Bad Idea," either, except for Grande's co-writers on the track include Mont, Njomza,Tayla Parx, and TBHits, all of whom contributed lyrics to "Thank U, Next" and "7 Rings."
Judging by Grande's response to Fenty Beauty on Twitter, it looks like "Make Up" may literally be about the popstar's beauty routine.
According to Grande, "Ghostin" is about "feeling badly for the person you're with bc [because] you love somebody else."
Grande also said the subject of the song "can't compare" to the person she truly loves, which leads her to feel like she should "ghost" him a term for going quiet on someone mid-relationship without any explanation.
When another fan noted that Grande's explanation is "so sad," Grande replied, "yea life is full trash but music and friendship are cool."
Grande wrote that "In My Head" is about "being in love w [with] a version of somebody you've created in your head," or, in other words, "falling for someone that they are not."
"Yikes," she added.
"7 Rings" was the third song and second promo single released off "Thank U, Next." The hip-hop-infused track leans heavily on braggadocio , with lyrics like, "Who ever said money can't solve your problems? Must not have had enough money to solve 'em."
Grande previously called the song "a flex" and a "friendship anthem" on Twitter.
"7 Rings" which was co-written by Njomza, Kaydence, Parx, Mont, TBHits, Scootie, and Mikey Foster was inspired by the time Grande had "too much champagne" and spontaneously bought seven diamond rings for herself and six friends .
While Grande was accused of lifting lyrics and flows from Soulja Boy and Princess Nokia , the song draws from Grande's historical appreciation of hip-hop, which she has demonstrated since her sophomore album sampled rappers like Jay-Z , The Notorious B.I.G., and Biz Markie.
"7 Rings" samples "My Favorite Things" from "The Sound of Music," interpolates The Notorious B.I.G.'s "Gimme The Loot," and pays homage to artists like Lil Mama and Destiny's Child.
The album's titular track was also its lead single. In the build-up to its release, Grande described its themes as "love, gratitude, acceptance, honesty, forgiveness ... and growth."
In the song, Grande name-drops her ex-boyfriends and details what they taught her . She sings that she's "grateful" for all of them and that, thanks to her trials and tribulations, she has "turned out amazing."
Grande teased a snippet of the album's final track, "Break Up With Your Girlfriend, I'm Bored," during her cover art reveal on Instagram. She confirmed the snippet's identity on Twitter.
While Grande revealed little else about the contents of the song, she did deflect a fan who asked who the song was written about, possibly confirming that it doesn't have a real-life inspiration.
She also said it would not be similar to her 2014 song "Break Your Heart Right Back," featuring Childish Gambino .
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