Ariana Grande's Thank U, Next Just Broke An Impressive Record

Ariana Grande - "Problem" Music Video

With the release of her latest studio album, Thank U, Next, Ariana Grande is once again a record-breaker. The Grammy-winning artist wasn't on hand to play at the Grammys earlier this month, but that hasn't stopped the artist from making a big impact with the release of her latest collection of music. As it was reported this week, Thank U, Next broke the record for the biggest streaming week for a pop album since it came out nearly two weeks ago. It's also the biggest streaming week for an album made by a woman. Grande surpassed both Ed Sheeran and Cardi B with these respective records.

Thank U, Next made its debut at number one on the charts, as it was reported by Billboard. But that was expected. There's no denying that Ariana Grande has reached a career height throughout the past year, continuing to bloom her public profile and excel in a competitive pop music category. But that was only the beginning of Grande's accomplishments when it came time to release her latest studio release. It was not only the fourth number one album in Grande's young and growing career, but it outgrossed Ed Sheeran's third studio album Divide, with 126.7 million audio streams for its hit songs.

Furthermore, Ariana Grande was able to outshine Cardi B's debut album, Invasion of Privacy, by surpassing the sales made during that album's first week of release. To be more specific, it earned 202.6 million during its first week on the charts, and that's by no means a small feat for the pop singer.

Ariana Grande has celebrated many successes in her early career, but this achievement might possibly be among her greatest to date. The new album comes very shortly after the release of her last studio album, Sweetener, which also reached number one on the billboards back in September of 2018. If it is already celebrating such a high-standing achievement during its first two weeks of release, however, there is no telling what it might accomplish.

While it has been a difficult time in Ariana Grande's personal life during the second half of 2018, with the dissolve of her engagement to Pete Davidson and the death of her ex-boyfriend, Mac Miller, to name a few of the distressing matters that plagued Grande's life. But those issues likely helped fuel some of Ariana Grande's most personal and heartfelt music with the release of this newest album -- particularly with the title track, which has become a celebration of self-love (and the source of countless memes to boot). And now, the musician is continuing to celebrate the successes that have come with her work.

We will certainly continue to keep you posted and updated on the busy life of Ariana Grande -- as well as the latest news in film, television, pop culture, celebrity culture, and a whole lot more -- right here at CinemaBlend.

Will Ashton

Will is an entertainment writer based in Pittsburgh, PA. His writing can also be found in The Playlist, Cut Print Film, We Got This Covered, The Young Folks, Slate and other outlets. He also co-hosts the weekly film/TV podcast Cinemaholics with Jon Negroni and he likes to think he's a professional Garfield enthusiast.