This Friday, “Wicked” will transport movie-goers to the realm of Oz, with pop superstar Ariana Grande set to star as Glinda. Before the film’s release – and to celebrate the artist adding three more Grammy nominations to her list of accomplishments earlier this month – the Daily Bruin revisits Grande’s discography to ascertain which of her albums so far shines brightest.

“Yours Truly”

The world has been “Daydreamin’” about Ariana Grande’s voice since her first album.

Grande broke into the pop music industry with her debut studio album “Yours Truly” in 2013. As the title suggests, this album’s 12 songs embrace the feeling of falling head over heels into a new relationship. Musically, the album features the vocal runs that Grande would soon become known for, as well as upbeat, steady accompaniment starring the piano. Lyrically, “Yours Truly” is more innocent than her later projects, and encapsulates the modest entrance of a 20-year-old into the international music scene, but the LP still catapulted Grande to wider fame.

“Yours Truly” was an immediate hit and debuted at number one on the Billboard 200 chart. In 2023, Grande celebrated 10 years of “Yours Truly” with re-recorded live renditions and merchandise for her loyal fans. In a foreshadowing to her current role as Glinda in “Wicked,” the eleventh song on “Yours Truly” is a mashup with one of the musical’s most iconic songs “Popular.” “Popular Song” is a collaboration with MIKA which shares some of the same melodies as the original, proving that the pop princess was dreaming about the possibility of playing the good witch in the future.

It is apparent that “The Way” this album makes listeners feel leaves them with no other reaction but “Lovin’ It.”

– Katy Nicholas

[Related: Winner Takes All: Dissecting Beyoncé’s discography to determine her best album]

“Dangerous Woman”

Ariana Grande’s album “Dangerous Woman” is dangerously addictive and worth listening to “Everyday.”

Grande’s third album was released in 2016. As a mostly pop and R&B album, many of the recognizable songs from the album are energetic and upbeat. With more sexual lines, Grande deviates from her previous albums by showing a more provocative side and embracing her sensuality.

Grande’s mastery of layered vocals is especially present on hit singles such as “Dangerous Woman,” “Into You” and “Side To Side.” Her powerful wordplay on the title track depicts a love so strong that the narrator wants to “savor, save it for later / the taste, the flavor,” exuding a confident and empowering attitude. By comparison, “Side To Side” features rapper Nicki Minaj, with the reggae-infused beat suiting both voices as the track shifts from a quicker tempo during Minaj’s rap to a slower one when Grande sings. In her verse, Minaj declares herself the queen of rap and Grande as running the pop scene – an accurate statement reflecting how Grande’s music further captured the zeitgeist.

With “Dangerous Woman,” listeners rightfully became more “Greedy” for Grande’s music as she continued to dominate the pop genre.

– Amy Wong

“Positions”

“Positions” has only one position in Ariana Grande’s discography: on the top.

Grande’s sixth studio album marks her most sexually charged and confidence-boosting work. Released in 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic, “Positions” pieces together persistent erotic yearning and unabashed attitudes of attracting success to reinforce female sexuality and achievement. With lustful lyrics from co-writers such as Victoria Monét and Tayla Parx – plus melodic compositions from producers such as The Rascals and London on da Track – Grande honed her growing R&B sound to craft a sensual vocal experience both familiar and fresh to listeners.

Grande is intensely direct in her calls for sexual gratification throughout her 14-track LP, from expressing her impatience on “nasty” to openly announcing, “If I put it quite plainly / Just gimme them babies” on “34+35.” Outside of the sultry songs, the singer maintains the romance in the steady pop-R&B tune “safety net” with Ty Dolla $ign, exemplifying her proficiency in genre blending. Despite the overarching theme of confidence in “Positions,” Grande reveals pockets of doubt around love in the slow ballad “off the table” with The Weeknd and dance-pop song “motive” with Doja Cat. But by the album’s conclusion, the singer has her heart and self-esteem reassured in the rhythmic uptempo tracks such as “love language” and “obvious.”

With salacious verses intermingled with romantic longing, “Positions” has the mature “pov” to make it Grande’s best.

– Aisosa Onaghise

[Related: Winner Takes All: Finding ‘the 1’ best, most influential Taylor Swift album]

“Sweetener”

With “Sweetener,” Ariana Grande devised the recipe to pop perfection.

Released in 2018, the singer’s fourth studio album remains the very best of her discography, as it presents Grande at her most authentic. “Sweetener,” the artist’s first LP following the 2017 bombing at her Manchester Arena concert, beautifully explores healing amid tragedy, all within a fully cohesive and confident sound.

Grande co-wrote 14 of the album’s 15 tracks, weaving a delicate vulnerability through the project’s lyrics that her previous and more persona-driven records noticeably lacked. The hit third single “breathin” details her navigation of severe anxiety, whereas the closing track “get well soon” pays respect to the victims of Manchester’s attack with a precise runtime of five minutes and 22 seconds – referencing the event’s date, May 22. Solidifying the project as distinctly personal, the captivating “goodnight n go” reimagines a 2005 release from Imogen Heap, one of Grande’s all-time favorite musicians.

“Sweetener” also takes the cake sonically, primarily thanks to Grammy-winning artist Pharrell Williams, who produced half of the album. His signature percussion and optimistic beats shine especially bright on songs like the empowering “successful,” giving Grande an opportunity to fully dive into an R&B sound that pairs exceptionally with her famously smooth vocals. This magical collaboration helped earn Grande her first Grammy win in 2019, when “Sweetener” was named the year’s Best Pop Vocal Album.

With pure honesty and groundbreaking production, there is no doubt this record is the sweetest in her catalog.

– Victoria Munck

“thank u, next”

Writers’ consensus

It is impossible to “imagine” a better Ariana Grande album than “thank u, next.”

The pop star’s fifth album, released in 2019, pushed farther beyond the introspective songwriting explored in 2018’s Grammy-winning “Sweetener” to craft the singer’s most soul-baring project to date. Conceptualized in a whirlwind production period of about two weeks, the 12 songs on “thank u, next” capture Grande at her most vulnerable, reeling from the end of her engagement to Pete Davidson and the death of her ex-boyfriend Mac Miller. Less than six months after releasing the optimistic “Sweetener,” “thank u, next” tackled grief and heartbreak as Grande has never done before or since – all without sacrificing her skills for crafting playful and perennial pop songs.

The LP’s simple but evocative lyrics are perhaps its strongest quality, especially on pensive tracks such as “needy” and “ghostin.” On the former, Grande looks inward and relatably sings devastating lines such as “I’m obsessive and I love too hard / Good at overthinking with my heart.” On the latter, Grande addresses her own contradictions and flaws in her relationship with lyrics such as “Though I wish he were here instead / Don’t want that living in your head.” These two cuts – alongside “fake smile” and “in my head” – represent a compelling thread of melancholy self-awareness that permeates through “thank u, next,” giving the album a beating heart.

Even with the incorporation of such serious themes about relationships and self-identity, “thank u, next” still delivers some of the catchiest songs of Grande’s career. Nowhere is this clearer than on the should’ve-been-a-smash number “bloodline,” which features exuberant horns and sexually empowering lyrics that rival Grande’s most anthemic tunes. Likewise, the atmospheric ditty “NASA” and mischievous banger “bad idea” offer replay-worthy trap-pop jams on par with the memorable singles that comprise Grande’s hit-laden discography.

Part of the enduring influence of “thank u, next” is the culture-shaking impact of its megawatt hit singles and their accompanying music videos, as the critically acclaimed title track and Grammy-nominated “7 rings” became Grande’s first two singles to top the Billboard Hot 100. Despite Grande’s enormous success over more than a decade at the top of the pop pantheon, the “thank u, next” album cycle marked an iconic imperial era in which her music and iconography were inescapable. In 2024, the title track’s touching lyrics on love and loss still resonate, exemplifying the grace and charisma Grande has woven through her pop songbook.

For its brilliant combination of poignant lyricism and impeccable pop hooks, “thank u, next” remains Grande’s finest work.