Positions by Ariana Grande

Every New Zealand #1 single…

Ariana Grande

Ariana Grande-Butera was born in Boca Raton, Florida, to an Italian-American heritage. She started her career in musicals and as an actor, appearing on the teen series Victorious. She transitioned into a recording career, releasing her debut album Yours Truly in 2013 at 20.

Grande occupies a sweet spot between pop and R&B, energetic and earthy. 

Positions

‘Positions’ was the lead single from Grande’s sixth album, also named Positions.

In hindsight, ‘Positions’ marks the end of Grande’s imperial phase. It’s a good lead single, but the album wasn’t as acclaimed as her three previous records.

It’s surprisingly low-key for a lead single from a major pop artist. There’s little drama, just a well-written mid-tempo pop song. It’s relatively traditional, with a pizzicato guitar and violin in the arrangement, as well as Grande harmonising with herself.

‘Positions’ celebrates Grande’s relationship with real estate agent Dalton Gomez – the pair would later marry in 2021, then divorce in 2023. Gomez also came up with the music video’s concept, with Grande fabulously dressed in the White House.

I have an amazing team, and I work with a lot of really great people, but I control every single shot. I control every little thing, and I used to not, and I used to be able to pass things off and kind of trust people with other things and then it would go horribly wrong. Now the only option is to literally fill every position.

I look at my mom. My mom’s an engineer, like the most fierce badass in the world. I think that I learned a lot of that from her because she does everything herself as well. She has an amazing company, and she has incredible employees and brilliant engineers, that are manufacturing marine communication equipment.

Arian Grande, Zach Sang Show (edited for clarity)

My verdict

I have a lot of time for Grande. She’s my favourite diva, with her distinctive vocal slur. She delivers upbeat pop songs alongside big ballads.

Coming after big, meaningful Grande singles like ‘No Tears Left To Cry’ and ‘Thank U, Next’, ‘Positions’ feels airy and light. But it’s elite pop fluff with a great vocal melody and an interesting arrangement.

My favourite moment is the line “But I get tired of runnin’, f*** it
Now, I’m runnin’ with you (With you)”

The Aftermath

Following Positions, Grande’s largely focused on her film work. She’s starred in the blockbuster Wicked movies, and has only released one pop album since 2020. The ‘Positions’ single feels like the tail end of her golden era, along with the Dangerous Woman, Sweetener, and Thank U Next albums.

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