Maps of Music

Thank U, Next (2019)

Where the lyrics of Thank U, Next take you, and where it was really made.

The album came out only about six months after her previous record, and its title track debuted at number one on the Billboard Hot 100.

Key places

Main recording studio in New York (2019)

Recording site Jungle City Studios — The producers conducted most of their recordings at Jungle City Studios in New York City, so this is the main place where the album was made. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Additional sessions in Los Angeles (2019)

Recording site Record Plant Studios — Additional recording sessions for the album were scheduled at the Record Plant in metropolitan Los Angeles, after the main work in New York. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Additional sessions in Los Angeles (2019)

Recording site Conway Recording Studios — Conway Recording Studios in Los Angeles was one of the venues for additional recording sessions scheduled after the main work in New York. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Session in Stockholm (2019)

Recording site Master Plan — Wolf Cousins Studios in Stockholm was one of the sites for additional sessions for the album, placed here at city-center level. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Session in London (2019)

Recording site Wild Bunch Studios (London) — Entirety Studios in London was one of the sites for additional sessions for the album, placed here at city-center level. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Album story

Overview

• Thank U, Next: fifth studio album by American singer Ariana Grande
• Released February 8, 2019 by Republic Records
• Released six months after her fourth studio album, Sweetener (2018)
• Songwriters and producers included Tommy Brown, Max Martin, Ilya Salmanzadeh and Pop Wansel
• Primarily a pop, R&B and trap record
• Described as Grande's most personal record up to that point

Background

• Work began in October 2018 amid personal struggles, including the death of ex-boyfriend Mac Miller and the end of her engagement to Pete Davidson
• Grande did not use the traditional promotion cycle employed for her previous releases
• Mac Miller died from an accidental drug overdose in early September 2018
• Grande ended her five-month engagement with comedian Pete Davidson
• Recording began less than two months after Sweetener's release

Recording

• Most recordings were made at Jungle City Studios in New York City
• Additional sessions were held at 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
• About nine songs were written in one week, and most of the recording was completed about two weeks later

Cover

• Cover photo shot by Alfredo Flores
• Grande lies upside-down on the floor with the album title painted on her neck
• The digital edition has a pink border, while the physical edition has a black border

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Tracklist

Sources: musicbrainz.org

Artist

Early life

• Born June 26, 1993, in Boca Raton, Florida.
• Performed as a child with the Fort Lauderdale Children's Theater, playing Annie.
• Sang "The Star-Spangled Banner" at a Florida Panthers home game at age eight.

Career

• Began in the Broadway musical 13 (2008).
• Gained fame as Cat Valentine in the Nickelodeon series Victorious (2010–2013) and its spin-off Sam & Cat (2013–2014).
• Signed with Republic Records; debut album Yours Truly (2013) debuted atop the Billboard 200.
• Albums My Everything (2014) and Dangerous Woman (2016) brought international success.
• Sweetener (2018) and Thank U, Next (2019) mark her trap-influenced period; Positions followed in 2020.
• Eternal Sunshine (2024) marked her move into dance and house music; Petal (2026) followed as her eighth studio album.
• Acting work includes Don't Look Up (2021) and Glinda in Wicked (2024) and Wicked: For Good (2025).

Recognition

• Three Grammy Awards, one Brit Award, and fifteen MTV Video Music Awards.
• Ten Billboard Hot 100 number-one singles; the first solo artist to hold the top three Hot 100 spots at once (2019).

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Reception

At release

• Rolling Stone: called it one of the year's best pop albums so far
• AllMusic: Stephen Thomas Erlewine gave a positive review, saying Grande sounds swaggering and confident
• Los Angeles Times: Mikael Wood said the album flaunts Grande's emotional healing
• The Guardian: Michael Cragg saw it as a result of a burst of creativity but criticized 7 Rings as the album's low point
• Slant Magazine: Sal Cinquemani gave three and a half stars out of five
• Vice: Robert Christgau gave a three-star honorable mention
• Metacritic: average score of 86 from 24 reviews, indicating universal acclaim

Reappraisal

• Billboard named Thank U, Next the best album of 2019, after Sweetener topped the same list in 2018
• MTV placed it among the top ten albums of 2019
• Rolling Stone named it the best album of 2019
• Rolling Stone later included it in The 250 Greatest Albums of the 21st Century So Far (2025)

Records

• Debuted at number one on the US Billboard 200 with 360,000 album-equivalent units in its opening week
• Opening-week streams of 307 million set a US record for a female artist and a pop album
• Debuted at number one on the UK Albums Chart with 65,000 album-equivalent units
• Ranked second-best-performing album on the Billboard 200 in 2019
• Sold 2.056 million units in 2019, including singles and streaming
• Certified double platinum by the RIAA in June 2020
• Eighth best-selling album of 2019 globally
• Received four Grammy nominations, including Album of the Year

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Trivia

• Title track, 7 Rings and Break Up with Your Girlfriend, I'm Bored took the top three positions on the Hot 100, making Grande the first artist to hold the top three since the Beatles in 1964.
• Grande reportedly begged her manager, Scooter Braun, to remove the track Ghostin from the album, but he convinced her to keep it.
• Break Up with Your Girlfriend, I'm Bored replaced Remember, a song previously planned for the album that was too personal for Grande to release.
• NASA opens with a spoken introduction by Shangela, an American drag queen.
• Bloodline features a sound bite from Marjorie Grande, Grande's grandmother, talking about a hearing aid.

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

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