Ariana Grande has been omnipresent the last few years. Discussions of her relationships and her weight have made Grande an internet fixture in recent years. She’s coming off a long run promoting and starring in the two Wicked films, and her hit song “Hate That I Made You Love Me” has been everywhere this summer. She’s also announced she’s taking a step back from public life after her current tour. So with the release of her new album, Petal, what do we make of Grande’s latest batch of songs, and do they successfully capture this moment in her life? Looking for more buzzy pop music conversations? Check out: Olivia Rodrigo seems pretty sad, but does she still generate bangers? [https://www.npr.org/2026/06/17/nx-s1-5860352/olivia-rodrigo-seems-pretty-sad-but-does-she-still-generate-bangers] On 'Arirang,' BTS nods to K-pop's past, present and future [https://www.npr.org/2026/03/25/nx-s1-5759653/on-arirang-bts-nods-to-k-pops-past-present-and-future] Connect with Pop Culture Happy Hour: Letterboxd [https://letterboxd.com/nprpopculture/] / Facebook [https://www.facebook.com/pchh] Our weekly newsletter [https://www.npr.org/newsletter/pop-culture] Support public media with NPR+ and enjoy perks for over 25 podcasts like this one. This show’s perks include bonus episodes and sponsor-free listening. Learn more at plus.npr.org [http://plus.npr.org/]. See pcm.adswizz.com [https://pcm.adswizz.com] for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences. NPR Privacy Policy [https://www.npr.org/about-npr/179878450/privacy-policy]