Ariana Grande’s highly-anticipated fifth studio album, “Thank U, Next,” was released at midnight on Feb. 8. Grande did not enlist other artists to collaborate with her on any of the album’s songs, which further emphasizes her desire to portray her experiences from her point of view in a raw, authentic and uninterrupted manner.

Grande therapeutically reflects on various experiences that have shaped and changed her over the past few months, such as love, loss and personal hardships. Grande’s new outlook on life and sense of empowerment is further represented in the new style of some of her songs, like “7 Rings.”

In “7 Rings,” which samples the song “My Favorite Things” from “The Sound of Music,” Grande sings, raps and places emphasis on luxury items that she is able to purchase for herself. Grande’s message is that she does not need to be in a relationship in order to feel worthy, accomplished and happy, which is both relatable and empowering.

Grande references her ability to move past the personal experience of ending her engagement to Saturday Night Live comic Pete Davidson while singing “Wearing a ring, but ain’t gon’ be no ‘Mrs.’”

Grande also touches upon multiple challenges she has faced through the years in the very beginning of title track “Thank U, Next,” when she mentions each of her exes and what she learned from them.

Rather than regretting her past relationships, she turns the experiences into positives that have allowed her to grow and love herself more in the process. This is made evident by the lyrics “One taught me love / One taught me patience / And one taught me pain / Now, I’m so amazing.”

It is evident from the very beginning of the song “NASA” that this track is yet another empowering hit on the album – the song begins with “RuPaul’s Drag Race” star Shangela putting a twist on Neil Armstrong’s famous quote, “That’s one small step for woman, one giant leap for womankind.” Grande goes on to give a double meaning to the word space by giving the chorus a space theme while also referring to her need for space to be on her own.

This album did not disappoint, as seen through the overwhelmingly positive response from fans on Twitter. Grande’s refreshingly authentic approach and dedication to creating music without an emphasis on making hit songs seems to have inadvertently done just that – the album already boasts two chart-topping singles, “Thank U, Next” and “7 Rings.”

“Thank U, Next” is now available on iTunes and is streaming on all music platforms.