Ariana Grande's Thank U, Next: release date, rumours, tour and everything we know about AG5

4 November 2018, 09:37 | Updated: 23 January 2019, 17:48

Ariana Grande AG5
Picture: Kevin Winter/Getty Images for iHeartMedia/Instagram/Screenshot/Ariana Grande
Nicky Idika

By Nicky Idika

Ariana Grande has been in the studio working on a follow up to 'Sweetener', which came out just a few short months ago. AG5 appears to be in full swing, so what can fans expect from Ariana's new music? Here's everything we know about AG5 so far.

Ariana Grande has confirmed that her fifth album will be called 'thank u, next' and has surprised dropped the first single, which is also the title track.

Ari directly addresses her former relationships with Big Sean, Ricky Alvarez, Pete Davidson and Mac Miller on the new single. Listen to the song below:

Ariana Grande - thank u, next (audio)

Ariana dropped her last album Sweetener in August of this year, but the talented singer is already hard at work on her next album. Ariana has been teasing the project that fans have affectionately dubbed AG5, and has promised the album will drop very soon.

So, when can fans expect from AG5? What has Ariana said about it? And who is she working with for this for the upcoming release? Here's everything we know so far about Ariana Grande's AG5.

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When is thank u, next coming? Ariana Grande's fifth album release date

While there is no official release date set for thank u, next, Ariana Grande has promised that the album will arrive before the year is out. When Ariana and Pete Davidson were on a recent outing, a paparazzo asked the singer if fans could expect the album before the end of the year, to which she replied, "yes!"

Some fans have speculated that she was joking, however, if she is not, her response means fans will have a new Ariana release between October and December.

Some fans have expressed the feeling that Ariana's new "era" is coming very quickly after Sweetener, however, the singer expanded on her current mind set in a series of tweets.

"I don’t want to conform to the like ... ‘routine’ or like ‘formula’ anymore. i love music i ain’t waiting another 2 years to drop it," she wrote on Twitter.

Ariana has shared more than a few Instagram stories and photos of herself in the studio, likely meaning that production and writing for the release is well under way. Ariana has been in the studio frequently in the month of October and regularly shares social media updates from her sessions.

After a long wait, Ari has now put us out of our misery and confirmed that the "thank u, next" release date is Feb 8 – *waits patiently with debit card ready.*

What will thank u, next sound like?

Ariana has shared a snippet of a new song with the lyrics "tell me how good it feels to be needed." It appears to be a song she's worked on with frequent collaborator, Tommy Brown.

Tommy has worked on all of Ariana's albums, including three songs from Ari's most recent album, Sweetener--"better off". "goodnight n go", and "pete davidson".

Lyrics from the Ariana Grande studio snippet

Passionate but I don't give no fucks

I admit that i'm a little messed up

But I can hide it when I'm all dressed up

I'm obsessed but I love too hard

Good at overthinking with my heart

How you even think it got this far

This far

I can be needy

Way too damn needy

I can be needy

Tell me how good it feels to be needed

Another, shorter snippet of music was shared via Tommy Brown's Instagram stories.

thank u, next tracklist and song titles.

If you look beyond the celebrity cameos and '00s movie references in the 'thank u, next' video, there's some clues that reveal what's coming up on Ari's tracklist for her new album. Ariana hinted we have a least three songs on the way – 7 Rings, Imagine and Needy.

Clever fans first spotted the phrase "7 Rings" on the license plate of Ari's car as she pulled up to Harvard during the Legally Blonde segment of the music video. Ariana confirmed that they were correct about the song title and opened up about the message behind track on Twitter.

Now imagine having a rough day and going to Tiffany's to perk you up… sadly, can't relate.

Of course, "7 Rings" isn't the only song that will be included in her next album. Ari wore a tank top bearing the phrase "A Little Bit Needy", during the Mean Girls segment of her music video. Now, she had made reference to "Needy" on Twitter back in October, while she also hinted at the song title in her "Breathin'" video.

The other track that Ariana teased in 'thank u, next' is "Imagine." The song title appeared in the Bring It On part of the video, where it was written on a building in the background of the football game. "Imagine" also appeared in the "Breathin'" video too and based on Ariana's tweets, it seems as if she'll be dropping "Imagine" before "7 Rings" and "Needy".

However, there's even more musical magic to come. Ariana shared a photo to her Instagram stories hinting that she had written 9 songs in three days. Fans are guessing that there will be more than 9 songs on the release so we know there's more.

Ariana Grande AG5
Picture: Ariana Grande Instagram Stories

And now she's just revealed the entire "thank u, next" tracklist and the internet is pretty shook. The album will consist of 12 songs in total, including "7 rings," "thank u, next," and "imagine," which have already been released. However, perhaps the most savage and shocking song title, has to be the last track on the album, "break up with you girlfriend, i'm bored".

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feb 8

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Is AG5 a Christmas album?

via GIPHY

Fans have long hoped that Ariana would do another Christmas album, following 2015's Christmas & Chill. It seems that fans will have to wait a bit longer, though. Ariana has seemingly confirmed that she is NOT working on a Christmas album at the moment.

Ariana Grande christmas album
Picture: Ariana Grande Instagram

Is Ariana Grande doing a joint Sweetener + thank u, next tour?

Everyone go see their bookies because a joint Sweetener + thank u, next situation seems very likely. Ariana has urged fans to be "patient" but also has encouraged some fan concepts about the tour.

Ariana grande twitter response
Picture: Ariana Grande twitter

Ariana seemingly confirmed to a fan that she would soon announce US tour dates followed by European tour dates a little later. However, there is virtually no chance Ariana is touring before 2019.

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