Petal (album)

In March 2024, Republic Records released Grande's seventh studio album, Eternal Sunshine, which peaked at number one on the US Billboard 200 and spawned the Billboard Hot 100 number one singles "Yes, And?" and "We Can't Be Friends (Wait for Your Love)".^[1][2] In January 2026, Grande said that she would need "an extra brain and four more arms" to make another album, as she was on the promotional campaign in support of her performance as Glinda in Wicked (2024) and Wicked: For Good (2025).^[3]

It was confirmed that Grande finished recording her next studio album on April 8; that day, she shared an image of herself in the studio.^[4][5] On May 7, Grande detailed the album in an Instagram video, describing it as "a little feral". She said it draws from emotions she had previously been "too shy or polite to tap into before", adding that the album ultimately felt like "fuck it". She also characterized it as "full of life" and centered on overcoming negative attachments and personal struggles.^[6][3] According to her, Petal explores "breaking up with all different kinds of negative attachments", and was intended to allow listeners to apply its themes to their own experiences.^[7] In an interview ahead of Petal's premiere on Apple Music's Petal Radio, Grande said it drew from "many different parts" of herself and described it as more "experimental" than her previous work. She explained that much of the material was written from "an unfiltered rage" and that, unlike in the past, she resisted softening her lyrics through extensive rewrites.^[8]

Petal is a pop^[9][10][11] and R&B^[12] album, consisting of midtempo and electro-infused songs.^[13] Journalists have named synth-pop, new wave, dream pop, hip-hop, shoegaze, garage rock, and pop rock as sounds infused into the album.^[14][15][16] However, Thomas H. Green of The Arts Desk strongly disagreed with a Wikipedia description of the album's songs as combining "shoegaze, garage rock, pop rock, pop and R&B".^[17] Riff Magazine described Petal as revolving around "lush, synth-laden soul" rather than "massive pop bangers".^[18] As with Eternal Sunshine,^[19] Grande co-wrote and co-produced the album with Ilya Salmanzadeh, while Max Martin contributed to three tracks.^[13] Salmandazeh also executive produced the album.^[20][21][22]

Described by Grande as "very experimental", Petal further develops the electronic-R&B sound of her previous three studio albums through atmospheric production, drum-machine rhythms, and layered synthesizer textures.^[23] Critics noted Grande's restrained, honeyed vocal delivery throughout much of the album, with "Oh Well" singled out for showcasing her layered vocal production at its strongest.^[24][25] Petal emphasizes downcast lyrics, while its production often obscures Grande's soft falsetto vocals within the mix.^[9]

In January 2026, Grande spoke with Billboard about working on a project that she was "very excited about", confirming that no new music would be released before May. She indicated that her new album was coming "soon enough"—while it was not yet completed.^[47] Grande subsequently began teasing new music in April; she shared a number of recording studio images through her Instagram,^[48][49][50] a video that features the caption "Petal in the pavement",^[51] and an audio message saying: "We're counting down the eights – oops! I mean the days. We'll see you this summer."^[52]

Grande revealed her eighth studio album on April 28, along with its title Petal and cover art^[53]—a black-and-white close-up photograph of herself smiling with her brunette hair partially covering her face and without her signature hairstyle, the ponytail.^[c] Its cover artworks were photographed by Katia Temkin.^[58] Ahead of the release in June, Grande began revealing Petal's tracklist; during the first of two Eternal Sunshine Tour shows at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles, the title of the opening track, "Kiss Me", appeared in pre-show visuals.^[59] At the second show on June 14, a countdown displayed on the venue's circular screen briefly glitched to reveal the third track's title, "Petal".^[60] The remaining track titles were unveiled during her June 19 concert at the Kia Forum in Inglewood, California.^[61][62] On July 8, Grande shared the album's alternate cover art, announcing an exclusive vinyl edition available for preorder through her website, and previewing two songs from the album. One teaser featured what was believed to be a snippet of "Oh Well", while the other showcased an additional unreleased track.^[63]

To promote Petal, Grande organized a series of listening events at independent record stores worldwide. Canadian events were held from July 31 to August 2 across 16 stores in 13 cities spanning Alberta, British Columbia, Manitoba, Nova Scotia, Ontario, and Quebec.^[64] Grande also launched a Petal pop-up at Complex LA, which operated from July 31 to August 2.^[65] During the Montreal stop of her Eternal Sunshine Tour on July 28, Grande gave the live debut of the album's title track, "Petal", three days before the album's release.^[66][67]

More information Aggregate scores, Source ...

Professional ratings

Aggregate scores
Source	Rating
AnyDecentMusic?	6.2/10[99]
Metacritic	67/100[100]
Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[41]
Consequence	C[36]
The Daily Telegraph	[23]
The Guardian	[39]
The Independent	[46]
NME	[25]
Paste	C[9]
Pitchfork	6.5/10[37]
Rolling Stone	[13]
The Times	[11]

Close

As noted by Music Times, reviews of Petal were generally positive, although critics were polarized on the album's restrained approach against the advertised emotional intensity.^[101] According to the review aggregator Metacritic, Petal received "generally favorable reviews" based on a weighted average score of 67 out of 100 from 16 critic scores.^[100] The review aggregator site AnyDecentMusic? compiled 14 reviews and gave the album a weighted average score of 6.2 out of 10, based on their assessment of the critical consensus.^[99]

Petal's defiant themes and subdued production style were sources of compliment in some of its reviews. Rob Sheffield of Rolling Stone commended its unfiltered emotion, highlighting how anger functions as the album's strength rather than a weakness.^[18] Billboard's Kyle Denis thought Petal was more "grounded" than Grande's earlier works, allowing her to weave "meaningful personal revelations" between moments of "genuinely hilarious digs".^[16] Attitude's Jamie Tabberer, Variety's Jem Aswad, and Sputnikmusic's Sowing agreed it is Grande's most profound and accomplished work yet, praising its offbeat, cohesive production, and emotional depth.^{[102][10][103]} Will Hodgkinson of The Times characterized Petal as a dreamy, "old-fashioned" record, bolstered by a sophisticated production.^[11] No Ripcord's Tom Parmiter similarly praised it as a "tightly arranged, focused set", highlighting its precisely mixed vocals and backing tracks while commending the album's atmospheric production and melodic variation.^[104]

Various critics also praised Petal for pairing Grande's emotional vulnerability with its refined and experimental production. Ludovic Hunter-Tilney of the Financial Times wrote that, although Petal was less outwardly furious than its promotional campaign suggested, its focus on production and layered vocals gave "stylish musical expression" to Grande's emotional turmoil.^[24] Writing for the Los Angeles Times, Mikhael Wood viewed it as a dramatic shift from Eternal Sunshine, praising its percussion-driven production and describing the restrained vocals as "spooky, slightly creepy".^[35] NME's Kristen S. Hé praised Petal for embracing experimentation and emotional ambiguity, writing that it "largely sits in a place of discomfort" while highlighting its experimental production and some of Grande's most poetic songwriting.^[25] The Irish Times's Ed Power wrote that the record transformed Grande's "unfiltered rage" into an understated yet distinctive artistic statement and praised its atmospheric production as well as unconventional approach to "mainstream pop", despite feeling that the album "never quite blooms".^[105] Sonikka Noganathan of The Hindu also commended its storytelling, atmospheric production, and emotional arc, describing it as Grande's most convincing exploration of anger, fame, and healing.^[106] Neil Z. Yeung of AllMusic praised the album's restrained production, writing that it is "anything but passive" and that its "hardened R&B atmospherics" effectively reflect Grande's emotional turmoil.^[41] Spectrum Culture writer Eoghan Lyng was similarly effusive: "A powerful tune carries tremendous weight when it stems from such an authentic place. At times like this, Petal is delightfully authentic."^[107]

Other reviews were mixed. Craig Jenkins of Vulture stated that even though Petal is a solid album driven by Grande's desire to express herself over commercial appeal, praising its darker atmosphere and thematic focus on fame while noting that it is not a reinventive body of work.^[108] Neil McCormick of The Daily Telegraph described Petal as a sonically understated album, but felt that its advertised "unfiltered rage" only came across as "mild irritation"; McCormick additionally criticized Grande's vocal delivery and a perceived lack of memorable hooks.^[23] Similarly, Flood Magazine's Taila Lee considered the record less forceful than its promotional imagery suggested, but complimented the "sleek pop/R&B soundscape".^[109] Thomas Green of The Arts Desk opined that the album's muted production alongside Grande's "airy" vocals also means "there's little that grabs".^[17] Katie Hawthorne of The Guardian liked Petal for its dark soundscape and restrained vocals, while finding its emotional themes to be somewhat repetitive.^[39] Aimee Cliff of Pitchfork and Maria Sherman of Associated Press were also amongst the reviewers who offered plaudits to the intimate sonics and vocals, but questioned the "lackadaisical" production and "constrained" singing.^[110][37]

Some reviewers questioned the consistency of Petal's production and songwriting. Exclaim! critic Megan Lapierre and Consequence's Kofi Mframa acknowledged Grande's willingness to experiment, but felt the result was rather "pussyfooted", undermined by clumsy lyrics, distracting arrangements, and simplistic vocals.^[36][111] In The Sydney Morning Herald, Annabel Ross felt that spite rather than rage drove much of the album, criticizing its repetitive arrangements and "frustratingly muted" production, noting Petal came alive during its more vulnerable moments.^[112] The New York Times's Lindsay Zoladz and The Independent's Roisin O'Connor were disappointed with Petal's obscure sound, dubbing its monochrome production a drawback. They argued that the lyrics lacked the conviction of her previous outputs, resulting in a "bland" body of work, but considered "Hate That I Made You Love Me" as the album's flagship.^[46][19] Tom Breihan of Stereogum liked the album's sonic cohesion but felt that Grande had intentionally downplayed herself, resulting in "meticulously crafted background music" that disappoints when compared to her other albums.^[113] In Paste, Sam Rosenberg dismissed Petal as a "middling" work, struggling with undermined production and vague songwriting.^[9] Michael Savio of Slant Magazine agreed that Petal traces comfortable territory for Grande, with timid vocals and a serviceable production similar to Positions (2020).^[44] Rosenberg, Breihan, and Viswanath remarked that Petal is musically, thematically, and aesthetically similar to The Tortured Poets Department.^[9][113][34]

In the United States, Petal debuted at number one on the Billboard 200 with 295,000 album-equivalent units in its first week—her biggest sales week there since Thank U, Next (2019).^{[114][115][116]} It marked Grande's seventh chart-topper as well as her second-largest sales week and pure album sales debut with 168,000 units, comprising 96,000 vinyl sales—the largest vinyl sales week of her career.^[117][118] She also joined Janet Jackson and Lady Gaga as the solo women with the fifth-most number-ones on the chart.^[118]

All 12 tracks from Petal entered the Billboard Hot 100 simultaneously, led by "Hate That I Made You Love Me" at number two, following its one-week run at number one upon debut; the title track debuted at number four, becoming Grande's 24th top-10 entry. The chart performance brought Grande's career total to 110 Hot 100 entries, making her the 23rd artist and fourth woman in the chart's history to surpass 100 entries.^[119]

Petal peaked atop the ARIA Albums Chart in Australia, Official Aotearoa Music Charts in New Zealand, and UK Albums Chart in the United Kingdom, marking her sixth chart-topper in those nations.^{[120][121][122]} It also topped Australia's Vinyl Chart.^[123][124] In France, Petal debuted at number one, becoming Grande's first chart-topper on the French Albums Chart.^[125]

All lyrics were written by Grande; all music was composed and produced by Grande and Ilya Salmanzadeh, except where noted.

The credits were adapted from Tidal and the "Dandelion White" vinyl jacket of "Hate That I Made You Love Me".^[126][127]