After the death of her ex-boyfriend, Mac Miller, and a failed engagement to Pete Davidson, it was unexpected that Ariana Grande would rise from these depths of despair, let alone thrive, amidst so much loss.
At the end of 2018, Grande began dropping hints of a new album by releasing singles until Feb 8 when the full album, “Thank U, Next,” came out. This album landed Grande as a Billboard Number One artist eight weeks in a row for the song “7 Rings.”
Not even two months later, Grande has shocked fans yet again by releasing a barely-publicized song on April 1. Grande had complained in the past about the music industry making her release songs in a certain way and at specific times. She teased fans about a new hit by exchanging Tweets with her friend, Victoria Monet, about randomly releasing an unheard of new song.
She tweeted about how much healthier and authentic it feels to release music her way, spontaneously. “Regardless of the outcome, I prefer this because it’s real and feels happy,” she said.
The newly released song titled “Monopoly” features longtime best friends Grande and Monet and is dedicated, according to Grande, to “friendship, freedom, protecting your energy, and staying right in your bag.”
And that’s exactly what the song portrays.
The song begins with a retro, almost synthesized beat before jumping into lyrics loosely making metaphors off the title game such as the repeated line, “Treat my goals like property, collect them like Monopoly.” The game references show off how their successes are similar to that of the popular game based off buying as much property as possible.
The style replicates that of Grande’s “7 Rings” through the unexpected trap beats and synthesized style coming from an artist who typically doesn’t stray far from pop.
The new technique shows Grande’s growth, symbolizing her advance from bubbly love songs to ones referencing her triumph after a year filled with tragedy.
The repetitive nature of lyrics, like those of “Monopoly,” often shows a lack of effort in a song, but Grande and Monet prove their new hit was made through and for enjoyment.
The best friends flaunt their fun-loving, easy-going personalities throughout the song with harmonies with themselves and each other, along with the loose structure the song forms around.
The artists show off the fun they experienced in creating “Monopoly” with inside jokes they reference before the end beat through 10 seconds of dialogue.
Grande has proven that she is done being surrounded by sadness and is ready to make music for herself and her fans, one hit single at a time.
