On Oct. 23, Ariana Grande blessed her loyal fans with the new single “Positions” off of her sixth studio album “positions,” which was released in full on Oct. 30. The lead single and title track was accompanied by a detailed music video, directed by Dave Meyers, best known for his work on Grande’s past “God Is a Woman” and “No Tears Left to Cry” music videos. 

“Positions” echoes Grande’s sound from her most recent album “thank u, next,” released in 2019. The pop songstress utilizes her elegant and smooth voice to mesmerize her listeners, all while maintaining a light pop-tone, on an R&B beat. Her collaboration on “Positions” with renowned producer London On Da Track allows the song to be an effortless blend of pop, R&B, and hip-hop, paralleling Grande’s genres on prior albums.

The single was embraced by fans instantly, earning the top debut on the Global Spotify Chart with over 7.63 million streams. This made “Positions” the third biggest debut on the Global Spotify Chart in 2020, behind “Dynamite” by BTS and “cardigan” by Taylor Swift. “Positions” also earned the #1 spot on the US Spotify Chart with 2.8 million streams. The concurrently released music video earned over 18.6 million views on Youtube in its first 24 hours.

The “Positions” music video emulates feminist themes and centers around what a female president, played by Grande, might look like in the White House. This video comes at an important time, undoubtedly released on purpose, just 8 days ahead of the US 2020 election, and forces viewers to consider the idea of a woman in the powerful position. 

President Grande is a multitasker, hence the titular lyric “switching the positions for you,” and she is seen working in the kitchen, drinking wine, signing papers, collaborating in the Oval Office, and giving speeches in the White House Press Room. She also holds meetings with a decidedly more diverse group of advisors in her Situation Room. Grande is and has been graceful in balancing her private and public life. Showing a multifaceted character is undoubtedly a reflection of Grande herself, in addition to its general social awareness and relevance.

Grande is serving a Jaqueline Kennedy, 60s-esque style throughout the video. The music video features fan-favorite cameos from Grande’s dog Toulouse (a framed photo of him hangs behind her in the Situation Room), Grande’s mother, Joan, longtime friend and collaborator Victoria Monét, “thank u, next” collaborative singer-songwriter Tayla Parx, and various members of Grande’s inner circle of backup dancers and friends.

President Grande is surrounded by women in most shots and awards the Medal of Freedom to female US Postal Service Employees, a not-so-subtle nod to the Trump Administration’s blocking of funding to the US Postal Service.

Grande regularly uses her massive platform for promoting positive change amongst her fans, and

is unapologetically politically engaged. She frequently posts resources on her Instagram page for her 200 million followers, making her the most followed woman on the platform. She also formed a partnership with HeadCount in 2019 during her “Sweetener” tour, which cultivated more than 33,000 new voter registrations. 

On Oct. 24, Grande tweeted out the tracklist for her coveted new album, along with the message: 

“i don’t have a top three or anything! everything goes hand in hand. this project is my favorite for many reasons and i really can’t wait for it to be yours. thank u for your love and excitement, it means the world to me.” 

“Positions” follows Grande’s immense success with back-to-back albums “Sweetener” (2018) and “thank u, next” (2019). The album consists of 14 songs and collaborations with Doja Cat, The Weeknd, and Ty Dollar $ign. This year, Grande has also collaborated with Justin Bieber on the quarantine hit “Stuck with U,” and separately collaborated with Lady Gaga for the song “Rain on Me.” This release was the first female collaboration to debut at #1 on the Billboard 100 

Ariana Grande’s 6th studio album, “positions,” is now available on all streaming platforms.

Featured Image courtesy of Hits 1 radio via Flickr Creative Commons