Is the pop star finally preparing her next album?
Stay calm, Arianators — but it looks like Ariana Grande might be working on new music.
After putting her singing career on pause for the past couple years to focus on the Wicked live-action films, the 30-year-old vocalist shared a series of photos and muted videos on Instagram of her hard at work in a professional recording studio. In many of them, Grande — who’s known for producing her own vocals — sits at a computer while editing audio files visible on the screen.
The “Thank U, Next” singer didn’t provide a caption for the Thursday (Dec. 7) post, much less any details about what she’s planning. However, her close friend and frequent collaborator Victoria Monet did comment, “She’s HOME!!!”
Cynthia Erivo, who’s starring as Elphaba opposite Grande’s Glinda in the Wicked movies, also wrote that “no one is ready.” “I’m so freaking proud of you!!” added the singer-actress. “This project is so freaking special!!!”
The Victorious alum hasn’t had a proper release since her 2020 album Positions. She has jumped on tracks such as The Weeknd’s “Die for You” and “Santa, Can You Hear Me” with Kelly Clarkson over the past few years, and she released a 10-year anniversary edition of her debut album Yours Truly in August. But other than that, Grande’s pretty much kept her sights trained on Wicked and her R.E.M. Beauty business.
“[Wicked] is going to have every piece of me, every minute, every ounce of my heart, my time, my soul, my everything that I can give it,” she said in May 2022. “My hands are quite full with a lot of other ‘thrillifying’ work at the moment. I am spending all of my time with Glinda, I just was not ready.”
Fans have grown increasingly impatient for Grande to release a new album, something she’s teased her listeners about a couple times this year. “I know you’re very annoyed with me and my little makeup, but it’s coming,” she joked in a Q&A in August, referencing fans who are vocal about wanting the star to prioritize music over R.E.M. “There’s more, mhmm. Gotcha!”
In October, she shared Instagram pictures of her hanging out with some goats on a farm and teased: “ag7: goat mother.”
