The 24-year-old is one of four cover stars for The FADER's upcoming Summer Music Issue.
Ariana Grande has been revealed as the second of four artists to cover The FADER’s 2018 Summer Music Issue. The print issue hits newsstands in June, but ahead of the release, the magazine has shared the cover photo as well as highlights from Grande's interview Wednesday morning (May 30). The pop star shared details on her next album, life after the Manchester bombing, and how her fans encourage her to be vulnerable.
Grande’s fourth studio album Sweetener is due out in July, and she says fans can expect it to be more message-driven than her previous releases. "I’ve always just been like a shiny, singing, 5-6-7- 8, sexy-dance…sexy thing. But now it’s like, 'OK … issa bop — but issa message. Issa bop but also has chunks of my soul in it," she told The FADER.
The 24-year-old performer cited a juxtaposition between the emotionality of the tracks and some of the album's "trap beat" production, which is evident on the album’s triumphant first single "No Tears Left to Cry." She worked with Pharrell Williams to take her music in this newer direction, revealing that she cried many times during the writing sessions. "There’s definitely some crying-on the-dance floor stuff on this one," Grande said.