Grande's second studio album, My Everything (2014), continued the pop-R&B sound of its predecessor and incorporated EDM elements. It topped the Billboard 200 and featured four US top-ten singles: "Problem", "Break Free", "Bang Bang", and "Love Me Harder" featuring The Weeknd, the most of any artist that year. Grande's pop-R&B styles extended on her third studio album, Dangerous Woman (2016), which was her first of three consecutive number-one albums in the UK, and spawned top ten hits such as the Grammy nominated title track and "Side to Side".
On her next two albums, Sweetener (2018) and Thank U, Next (2019), Grande experimented with trap while maintaining her characteristic pop-R&B tones; being projects with her most creative control yet and showing a more personal and vulnerable side, both debuted at number one in several countries and were acclaimed by music critics. The former won a Grammy for Best Pop Vocal Album and spawned the international top three hit "No Tears Left to Cry", while the latter broke several streaming records. Grande became the first solo artist to hold the top three spots on the Billboard Hot 100 simultaneously when "7 Rings", "Break Up with Your Girlfriend, I'm Bored" and "Thank U, Next" did so in 2019. She is also the first artist to have the lead singles from each of their first six studio albums debut within the top ten in the US.
Grande released her sixth studio album, Positions (2020) with its lead single, "Positions" debuting at number one in the US and the UK simultaneously. The song became her third number one hit in the US following "Stuck With U" in collaboration with Justin Bieber and "Rain On Me", also in collaboration with Lady Gaga. A deluxe version of Positions was released in February 2021, with four new songs and a remix of "34+35" featuring Doja Cat and Megan Thee Stallion. The remix helped the song peak at number two, the highest-charting song credited to three or more female soloist since 2001 when "Lady Marmalade" performed by Christina Aguilera, MΓ½a, P!nk, and Lil Kim peaked at number one. The album debuted at number one on the Billboard 200, becoming her fifth album to do so. In April 2021, a remix of The Weeknd's "Save Your Tears" was released featuring Grande. The song reached number one in both the US Hot 100 and the Canadian Hot 100. It spent a total of 69 weeks in the US charts, becoming one of the ten longest-running songs in that chart since its publication.
In November 2021, it was announced that Grande would star in the two-part film adaptation of the musical Wicked. The first movie is set to release on November 22nd, 2024.
Ariana Grandeβs highly anticipated seventh studio album βeternal sunshine" was released on March 8th, 2024. The title is a reference to one of her favourite films, βEternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mindβ which stars Jim Carrey. The album is a concept album inspired by the events of the film. The lead single βyes, and?" was released on January 12, 2024 and debuted at #1 on the Hot 100. eternal sunshine had a debut at #1 on the Global Spotify charts and on the Billboard 200. The album's 2nd single βwe can't be friends (wait for your love)" also debuted at #1 on the Hot 100. During this album cycle, she collaborated with Mariah Carey, Brandy, Monica, Charli XCX, and Troye Sivan on various remixes.
Grande has received various accolades, including two Grammy Awards, ten VMAs, one Brit Award, two Billboard Music Awards, and three American Music Awards. All seven of Grande's full-length albums have been certified platinum by the RIAA. Grande has sold over 90 million records worldwide, making her one of the best-selling music artists of all time. Having amassed 98 billion streams globally as of 2021, Grande is one of the most-streamed artists of all time and became the first female artist to surpass 90 billion streams. She was the most-streamed female artist of the 2010s decade on Spotify and Apple Music, and was the only female artist to reach 3 billion total streams on the latter as of 2019. In 2024, Grande became the first artist to have five albums with multiple songs over a billion streams on Spotify. She is the only artist to debut the lead single from all their studio albums in the Top 10 of the Hot 100. Her signature ponytail hairstyle has become an iconic piece of pop culture iconography. In October 2024, she was named the 9th greatest pop star of the 21st Century by Billboard and was the newest artist on the list. In February 2019, she became the most followed woman on Instagram. Forbes ranked her amongst the highest-paid celebrities in 2019, and Time named Grande as one of the 100 most influential people in the world in 2016 and 2019. Billboard recognized her as the "Woman of the Year" in 2018. Her song "Thank U, Next" was in Rolling Stone's 2021 revision of their 500 Greatest Songs of All Time. In 2023, the magazine included Grande among the 200 Greatest Singers of All Time.
Recording artists who have cited Grande as an influence or inspiration include Billie Eilish, Chappell Roan, Lana Del Rey, Bryson Tiller, Charlie Puth, Sufjan Stevens, Troye Sivan, Zara Larsson, Tate McRae, Madison Beer, Jung Kook, Michelle Zauner of Japanese Breakfast, Giselle of aespa, and Meghan Trainor.
Half Life
Ariana Grande Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
It's been two days and eight minutes too slow
Well, there may well be others but I still like to
pretend
That I'm the one you really want to grow old with
I've got a schedule to stick to, got a world to keep
sweet
Will it ever slow down? Will I ever come first?
The universe contracts to sigh
It's a half life with you as my quarter back
A daft life
It's a half life with you as my quarter back
A daft life
Hold me
Hold me
Hold me darling, please
You know you'll never be lonely, no you'll always be
loved
And maybe you'll never need more than that
But for the surplus that loves, what's to become of
us?
Does it even register on your conscience?
Long for one last showdown from a box in a crowd
Air compressed tight to explode
I'm clenching my ticket to the only way out
As you disappear in a puff of smoke
It's a half life with you as my quarter back
A daft life
The song Half Life by Ariana Grande explores feelings of insecurity and a lack of importance in a relationship where her self-worth is measured by the amount of attention she receives from her partner through text messages. The lyrics state that her partner may have other interests, but she still likes to pretend that she is the one he truly wants to grow old with.
As the song progresses, she expresses her frustration with always playing second fiddle to her partner's busy life, and wonders if she will ever be a priority. The universe contracting to sigh is a metaphor for her feeling small and insignificant in comparison to her partner's grand life.
The chorus repeats the phrase "It's a half life with you as my quarter back, a daft life". The "half life" refers to a relationship that is only halfway fulfilling, where she is not getting what she needs from it, and "quarter back" is a play on words, suggesting that her partner is only giving her a quarter of the love and attention she deserves. "Daft life" can be interpreted as a life that is silly or foolish, further conveying the idea that this relationship is not bringing her the fulfillment she craves.
Line by Line Meaning
My self-worth measured in text back tempo
My worth as a person is measured by how quickly you respond to my texts
It's been two days and eight minutes too slow
I'm counting every minute you take to reply to me
Well, there may well be others but I still like to pretend
Even though I know you may be seeing other people, I still choose to ignore it
That I'm the one you really want to grow old with
I'm hoping that you see a future with me and want to spend your life with me
I've got a schedule to stick to, got a world to keep sweet
I have a lot of responsibilities and things to do, but I still make time for you
You're so much to everyone all the time
You have many people in your life who need you and depend on you constantly
Will it ever slow down? Will I ever come first?
I wonder if things will ever change and if you will prioritize me over everything else
The universe contracts to sigh
I feel like everything is closing in on me and it all seems hopeless
It's a half life with you as my quarter back
My life feels incomplete without you, even though I know I'm not your top priority
A daft life
My life feels foolish and pointless because of my unrequited love for you
Hold me
I need you to hold me and make me feel loved and secure
You know you'll never be lonely, no you'll always be loved
I want you to know that you are loved and will never be alone, even if it's not always by me
And maybe you'll never need more than that
Perhaps you don't need anything more than love and companionship
But for the surplus that loves, what's to become of us?
But what happens to us, who have extra love to give, but still want more?
Does it even register on your conscience?
Do you even think about how your actions affect me and others who love you?
Long for one last showdown from a box in a crowd
I fantasize about having one last chance to prove my love to you in a public setting
Air compressed tight to explode
My feelings are intensified to the point of explosion
I'm clenching my ticket to the only way out
I'm holding onto the possibility that you might choose me and we can have a future together
As you disappear in a puff of smoke
But you seem to always vanish and leave me hanging, without any real hope of a future together
Contributed by Nicholas K. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@10animallover10
lol * Angelic noises * Well, it's a good way to describe it when she's not singing lyrics^^Β
@nicoleolmstead6959
i downloaded this from twitter <3 i love everything but the sound/instrument after she sings,"hold me". but she sounds like an angel<3
@emmak2637
earphones in and you'll hear it
@user-cd8lu9di7u
I love ariana grande so much! I am a total fan her and her wonderful voice I love how she can be who she wants! Keep on singing ArianaπΆπ€π§π΅
@KatDenny
This is beautiful x x x
@prasi2114
If you can't hear it put your headphone on I couldn't hear her at first but then I put my headphones on ywπ
@peterlhawks
I kinda like Imogen heap's voice better then hers kinda because i love Ellipse and she sings better a little but still i like Ariana voice too.Β
@LittleCrystle
arianas voice. shes like an angle..<3
@MissUdenGoofed
Angelic noises 100% correct π
@LotofloveAriana
listening to her voice is like your living in heaven β€