From her 2013 debut album through 2020, Ariana Grande released six albums. The record arrives as her first full-length post-Wicked project, pairing soft pop choruses and bubbling, arpeggiated synths with production from Max Martin. Reviewing the album’s tone, Kyle Denis noted that it reads as pretty much a manicured middle finger aimed directly at the public while still making rage sound sweet.
Ariana Grande and Shaboozey Lead a Busy New Music Friday
Meanwhile, country-hybridist Shaboozey follows up his historic 19-week run at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 with A Bar Song (Tipsy)
by releasing a 20-track concept album titled The Outlaw Cherie Lee & Other Western Tales. The ambitious project features collaborations across genres, including tracks with Gunna, Leon Bridges, Orville Peck, Jamie Foxx, Sam Elliott, Teyana Taylor, and Kehlani.
Singles, Culture-Rooted Collaborations, and Festival Headliners
Cardi B entered the summer release schedule with a surprise single, “AH HA.” Built over an 808-laden club beat that transitions into an anthemic sing-rap chorus, the track follows her previous full-length album, Am I the Drama?
In an ode to Mexican-American heritage, Selena Gomez, Becky G, and producer Benny Blanco released Te Olvido (La La).
The Spanish-language track blends a predominant cumbia sound with pop and a mariachi interlude. Its Los Angeles Chicano culture-rooted music video features neighborhood street parties, lowriders, and an appearance by actor Danny Trejo paying tribute to his Machete character.
Slayyyter dropped her new one-off single, “BRAND NEW CHANEL$,” serving as a thematic response to her earlier track Beat Up Chanel$
from her March album Wor$t Girl In America. The dance-pop anthem arrives alongside a self-directed music video and precedes her performance at Lollapalooza.
The annual festival itself returns to Chicago’s Grant Park with a stacked lineup featuring headliners like Lorde, John Summit, Charli xcx, The Smashing Pumpkins, Olivia Dean, Jennie, Tate McRae, and The XX, with livestreams provided via Disney+ and Hulu.
Sequels, Streaming Series, and Box-Office Hits Arrive on Screens
Screen adaptations and long-awaited sequels dominate the streaming landscape for the week of July 27 through August 2. Two decades after the original release, The Devil Wears Prada 2
arrives on Hulu and Disney+, re-teaming Anne Hathaway, Meryl Streep, Stanley Tucci, and Emily Blunt. The sequel follows Hathaway’s Andy returning to Runway Magazine to help save it from a difficult media fate, building on a global box-office haul exceeding $688 million.
Following its major cinematic run as the first film to cross $1 billion in cinemas earlier this year, The Super Mario Galaxy Movie
arrives on Peacock.
