Dangerous Woman by Ariana Grande // 10 Year Anniversary Album Review
In terms of pure pop aesthetics, Dangerous Woman still stands as the quintessential era of her career in so many ways, and is anchored by some of the strongest track runs she's ever released. It followed the classic hits that made up her 2014 sophomore album My Everything, and it built on that momentum with an even more fierce and empowered stance.
The branding and iconography of the album's cover is also an iconic piece of her career on its own - instantly recognizable, endlessly referenced, and one of the most memorable visuals of her entire discography. It became a symbol not just of the era itself, but of the shift in her artistry overall, as she took a step in the direction of becoming the pop powerhouse she was always destined to be.
She worked with Max Martin on the majority of the album's big, memorable hits, alongside Ilya and Savan Kotecha, but also with her frequent collaborators like Tommy Brown and Victoria Monét. All of them had already played major roles in shaping her sound from the beginning, especially the two distinct sides of it: Max Martin and his core collaborators crafting the massive pop anthems, and producers like Tommy Brown leaning into the distinct R&B influences that have simultaneously lived alongside the rest.
The album opens with "Moonlight", a song that was originally intended to be the title track before the project ultimately shifted into another direction. As an opener, it is such a sweet and romantic love song, one that is very much in line with some of her previous work from Yours Truly and My Everything, and even her Christmas & Chill EP released a few months prior - bridging the gap between her previous work into this new chapter of her career. The pure sentimentality that comes in the chorus is beautifully depicted as she sings, "I never knew you could hold moonlight in your hands 'til the night I held you", which is a lyric that feels deeply connected to a line from "True Love" off of her 2015 holiday project, "I'm your moonlight, you're my star, and nothing's shining more than you". The soft celestial imagery that ties throughout her work are so gorgeous every time.
The rest of this album largely shifts away from this kind of romanticism that defined her debut, and even parts of her sophomore album, instead Dangerous Woman largely moves into something much bolder and empowering, with a title that reflects exactly that mission. The term "Dangerous Woman" truly does serve as the basis of so much of the work Ariana would go on to make, in 2016 and beyond.
In an interview with Jimmy Kimmel in early 2016, Ariana explained, "A really long time ago I was convinced that it was going to be called Moonlight because it's one of my favorite songs that we did for the album." She went on to say that as they reached the final stretch of recording, "...there's this other song that has thrown me for a whirlwind and I love it so much, it's changed everything."
Ariana has also attributed the phrase "dangerous woman" to Egyptian feminist writer Nawal El Saadawi, drawing inspiration from a passage in her 1975 work Woman at Point Zero: "They said, 'You are a savage and dangerous woman.' I am speaking the truth. And the truth is savage and dangerous." That influence threads directly into the heart of the album, which brings a strong feminist message that runs through its entirety, now placed boldly at the forefront. In a 2016 Billboard interview, Ariana explained what being a "dangerous woman" means to her. She said, "To me, a dangerous woman is someone who’s not afraid to take a stand, be herself and to be honest."
The transition from "Moonlight" into the title track, "Dangerous Woman" is so incredible. It ended up also serving as the official lead single for the record, which stands as one of the biggest highlights of her career. "Dangerous Woman" is an empowering, sensual anthem that radiates confidence from beginning to end. Changing the title to Dangerous Woman was a pivotal decision for the project, one that helped cement the album's legacy as her first fully realized statement of autonomy and artistic control. With the title track, it truly does feel like the moment Ariana fully became the artist she was always destined to be.
"Somethin' 'bout you makes me feel like a dangerous woman," Ariana sings in the chorus, which feels deeply reflective of the thesis of this entire album.
The song is a fearless expression of her sexuality and femininity, which is a theme that she has continued to explore further through future releases. "God is a woman" stands out as another comparable all-time career highlight in that way. "Dangerous Woman" has largely become one of the defining trademarks of her career, or at least one of the many pillars in the growing, extensive list - as she is an artist that has consistently evolved and outdone herself with every era.
Her vocals on this track are like no other. There are very few, if any, of her contemporaries who can come anywhere close to what Ariana is capable of vocally, and this song is a prime example of the once-in-a-generation talent that she possesses. The iconic video of her singing this song acapella on the set of the album cover shoot - wearing the latex bunny mask and all - remains one of the clearest demonstrations of the raw power of her voice and proof of the undeniable singularity of her talents.
The empowering message carries seamlessly through into "Be Alright", a track that has only grown more meaningful and pertinent over time. Sonically, it channels the same vibe as Madonna's "Vogue" and is very rooted in the same kind of movement that the track inspires.
In many ways, "Be Alright" also feels like the early precursor for songs like "no tears left to cry" and even the newer "yes, and?" in the ways it evokes a sense of optimism and forward thinking approach to life and facing new challenges. "Baby, don't you know? All of them tears gon' come and go," she sings in the refrain. "Baby, you just gotta make up your mind that every little thing is gonna be alright". This song is built on that grounding mantra.
Amidst all of the highlights that this record brings, truly nothing else will ever compare to "Into You". There is no other song like it - standing absolutely, with no exaggeration, as one of the greatest pop songs of all time. Her signature soaring vocals and the pristine Max Martin & co. production went on to define an entire era of pop music to follow. Her soaring vocals and layered harmonies also stand out as some of the biggest highlights of the record. "Into You" is so expansive and lush - in so many ways, it's Ariana's signature song.
The opening beat of this track evokes something indescribable. "I'm so into you, I can barely breathe, and all I wanna do is to fall in deep," she sings in the first lines of the song. It captures the rush of a new love, but also the stakes of having to keep it under wraps is such a provocative and electric story to be intertwined throughout. "A little bit dangerous, but, baby, that's how I want it, a little less conversation and a little more touch my body, 'cause I'm so into you, into you, into you," Ariana sings in the iconic chorus. "Got everyone watchin' us, so, baby, let's keep it secret, a little bit scandalous, but, baby, don't let them see it".
"Into You" perfectly captures all of the album's recurring themes in one place, with her defining confidence and allure at the center of the song. Its timelessness is solidified more with each passing year, truly sounding just as fresh as it did a decade ago. It's a song that has far outlasted any trends of the moment in which it was created and has transcended into being an all‑time classic. There are several other songs on Dangerous Woman that carry that same weight too and have largely taken on a legacy of their own.
Collaborations make up a major part of this album, and they really show off the range of influences and sounds that shape so much of what Dangerous Woman is. From the playful, risqué chemistry she shares on "Side To Side" with frequent collaborator Nicki Minaj, to the sultry, underrated gem of "Let Me Love You" with Lil Wayne that brings an trap-influenced electronic sound to the project.
Ariana's collaboration with Macy Gray on "Leave Me Lonely" remains among the album's most striking moments, with the incredible vocals from both artists right at the forefront, paired with the cinematic drama of the production. In contrast, Future's feature on "Everyday" is very much of its time, in the way that a couple of the tracks in the latter half of the record also are, but in the moment, it was very much in line with the dominant pop trends of the mid-2010s.
Alongside these big memorable hits and collaborations, Dangerous Woman also brings some of her most underrated non‑single album tracks, as well. The two‑parter "Knew Better / Forever Boy" stands out as one of the sharpest she has ever written, and the way the first part transitions into the second tells such a beautiful story. It's one of the strongest moments on the album in terms of lyricism, and the even deeper cut "Knew Better Part Two" remains one of the best songs of the entire era.
It is such a sweet pairing, too. "Forever Boy" is another sincere love song, in the way "Moonlight" and "Sometimes" are too. Even though now she might "listen and laugh", to quote "thank u, next", they still very much do stand the test of time and are very special moments of this album. "Sometimes", again, ties back to the sound of her Christmas EP released just a few months prior, carrying that same warmth and softness of that project. On both sides of "Knew Better / Forever Boy", she allows her personality to shine through in every line and is representative of so many facets of her artistry.
Another gem is "Greedy", which is such an iconic song that carries such a bright, disco groove to it and largely picks up where a song like "Problem" left off sonically a couple years prior, but expands it even further. No one else would ever be able to perform this song in the way that she does. "Step On Up", the leaked track that was later officially released on steaming years later, lives in the same vein in a lot of ways and is equally incredible. Not to mention, the fan-made "Gimme More" Britney Spears mashup is a masterpiece in its own right too!
Victoria Monét's influence comes through so strongly across all of these tracks, too. "Greedy" even connects back to the vibe of "Focus", which is interesting considering it was the sort of failed lead single for what was set to be Moonlight the year prior - even though it's always been a personal favorite.
"I Don't Care" shows even more of her own personal thoughts, as does the bonus track "Jason's Song (Gave It Away)". At this point, she was starting to open up in a more vulnerable way than before, which is something she would continue to expand on in her future work. She is so honest and blunt on both of these tracks in particular, delving into the behind‑the‑scenes thoughts she has about the ways she's perceived in the public eye and the pressure to conform to what others expect her to be.
"Used to cry 'bout some crazy shit before, I used to feel so obligated to be so much more," she sings in the opening lines of "I Don't Care". "I used to let some people tell me how to live and what to be, but if I can't be me, the fuck's the point?"
That messaging becomes more pertinent when considering the history behind "Jason's Song (Gave It Away)" as well, which touches on her brief split with her manager at the time, Scooter Braun. That is generally understood to have been the inspiration behind the song and highlights many her frustrations at the time. Although they would go on to work together again for the better part of the next decade and in hindsight, a lot of that does feel irrelevant now, considering the lasting positive impact this era had on her career overall, it does offer interesting context to some of the chaos that was happening behind the scenes at that point in her career and allows a different interpretation to some of the pressures she was under at the time. It also more broadly delves into her frustrations with the music industry as a whole, without holding anything back.
"Acted like you bought me at a bargain sale, you don't even care, you focused your frustration on a small detail, blew it out of scale, like my ponytail," she sings. "Well, if you don't want to see the girl I want to be, then why, then why should I listen? If you don't want to do the things I need from you, goodbye".
"Touch It" is another track that has aged so beautifully, with production that feels almost like a precursor to a song like "breathin" in the airy pop perfection they both embody. It also feels intricately linked to "Thinking Bout You", the album's closing track, both of them living within the same dreamy, atmospheric space that she would continue to explore in later eras. They're both stunning, ethereal ballads that close out the latter half of the record with such precision.
So much of what came after is built on the foundation that Dangerous Woman put into place. It's a pivotal piece in the evolution of one of this generation's defining voices in pop music, largely seen as a turning point that helped shape the artist she would grow into. What followed in Ariana's career is inseparable from the empowering sense of artistic clarity that originated from this project. This is a chapter that helped build the framework for everything she would go on to explore and gave her the power to take more artistic liberties with the music she releases. So many of the themes and motifs from this era have continued to follow her in the years since, and it became, in many ways, the definitive album she has made thus far.
Ariana would subsequently take a little over two years off from releasing music, her longest break up to that point, and return with a more experimental, creatively freeing direction on Sweetener. From there, she continued to evolve and push her sound as she matured and became even more involved in the process, drawing directly from her personal and lived experiences. That growth largely traces back to Dangerous Woman, signaling the moment she stepped fully into her power and opened the door to the artistic risks and unflinching honesty that would define the next decade of her work.
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