Music analysis: Dark Pop reimagined - ‘Petal’ by Ariana Grande
On July 31, Ariana Grande released her anticipated album, Petal, to the public, with many fans awaiting her return to popstardom after Wicked: For Good, writes Music News Blitz’s Brianna Ngambi.
This era began with the release of ‘hate that i made you love me’ in June, which has become one of my favourite singles she has ever dropped.
It encompasses what I believe Grande wanted to explore in this album, the realm of Dark Pop.
This feels like her way of addressing how she is learning to heal and stay resilient while experiencing the pressure of being a global sensation, as there is a melancholic tone in this album.
To me, this is what makes the album feel authentic and gives us the truth of being under the spotlight.
Favourite tracks
While I have been constantly rewinding ‘Petal’ since its release, there are five songs that are my absolute favourites by far.
What surprised me is that ‘hate that i made you love me’ is my first, as usually I am someone who loves a b-side rather than the singles, but it is a great dark pop song.
All of the elements you would want, it has. From the slow, mellow beat that is reminiscent of thriller and horror soundtracks, to her use of her lower octave and lyrics that could elude previous lovers or her fanbase, both large parts of her stardom.
On top of that, I love the music video.
It has a storyline that reminds me of a slasher movie, which I love to see and makes me nostalgic for my favourite music videos, like ‘Telephone’ by Lady Gaga and Beyoncé, which also tells a story.
Another one of my favourites is ‘nowhere nobody,’ which is the final track on Petal.
The Imogen Heap influence is quite apparent, with the enjoyable isolated vocals and align with Grande, as she mentions Heap as one of her major inspirations as a singer in multiple interviews across her career.
She has even covered her song ‘Goodnight and Go,’ which Grande sampled for a song on her Sweetener album.
As a fan of both, I love when Grande uses her as inspiration for the vocal production, and that is why I was drawn to the song so much.
Themes of scrutiny and resilience
Also, ‘kiss me,’ another favourite and the first track of the album, has lyrics that seem to portray her opinion on the public scrutiny she has been subjected to throughout her whole career, particularly around her body.
One of the first lines of the song is “Society desperate for remedy; Empathy, fix this reality” hich appears to be her criticising those in the public who comment on Grande and her life and body constantly and asking them to see how it would feel if they were in her shoes.
My last two favourites are ‘warning signs (interlude)’ and ‘stay,’ which both have this moody feel that fits in the Dark Pop genre.
The former song is one of the darkest and most hypnotic on the album and may again allude to her public scrutiny and her fandom using a toxic relationship as a metaphor for the often conditional support she received only from some toxic fans and the broader public.
Whereas the latter seems to be focused on a budding relationship that may not have worked before, and now they are willing to try again.
In the song, she could be referring to her dating Ricky Alvarez, who she was with when she was younger, which differs from the darker-themed songs but still remains strong in its Pop roots, which I enjoy a lot.
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Horror influences elevate the album
Looking at all these songs, I can see an album that is cohesive with its Dark Pop production, using it to portray an authentic life of a pop star, who in reality is just a human in society, who experiences love and staying resilient in hard times.
This is why I adore this album so much.
Upon release of the album, she released a music video for ‘Petal,’ the newest single.
It is very reminiscent of horror, just like the ‘hate that i made you to love me’ music video.
Within the video, Grande plays a character called “Pepper” who is constantly rejected in casting calls.
She continually comes back while changing her image, and by the end she is sick of it and kills those she was auditioning for with a chainsaw, spraying blood everywhere.
This was definitely horror-esque and pairs well with the dark and hypnotic feel of the song and overall album.
This pairing is what I enjoyed the most about the album rollout and intensifies the dark pop atmosphere that permeates Petal.
Here, horror and thriller aspects are utilised to add a more insidious vibe to the album and make her usage of Dark Pop feel fresh.
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