Upon announcing her fourth studio album ‘Sweetener,’ Ariana Grande, assisted by Nicki Minaj, dropped a left-field, second single, “The Light is Coming.”

First, the good news.  Ariana Grande is returning August 17, 2018 with her fourth studio album, Sweetener.  After a two-year hiatus, having Ari back is awesome.  Perhaps the not-so-good news is that her second single, “The Light is Coming” is incredibly quirky. Man, oh man! Even with the Queen herself making an appearance (Nicki Minaj), “The Light is Coming” is totally left-field.

Starting with the positives.  Nobody saw “The Light is Coming” coming in the least.  This record certainly sounds like nothing else currently out, which makes it quite distinct.  Often, as music critics, we are quick to criticize clichés.  Here, at least, Ariana Grande ‘tries something different.’ With the positives also come the not-so-positives and plum negatives.  Personally, “The Light is Coming” feels a wee bit too much of a stretch, lacking enough traditional songwriting to truly engage the listener.  While this gimmicky, rhythmic number is incredibly intriguing because of its utter weirdness (thank Pharrell Williams for some of that), it’s not without questioning exactly WTF you’re listening to.

Final Thoughts

Um, honestly, “The Light is Coming” left me speechless – that’s about the size of it.  It’s among the strangest songs I’ve heard in a while.  To reiterate, I give Ariana Grande credit for going against the grain – she at least has people talking about this record.  That said, hearing this makes me personally question what Sweetener will ultimately end up sounding like.  “No Tears Left to Cry” is respectable and traditional, but not game changing, while THIS is just… hmm… again, I’m speechless.

Ariana Grande • Sweetener • Republic • Release: 8.17.18

Photo Credit: Republic