Besides her songbird-level singing skills, Ariana is known for polished pop songs, the kind that usually has an R&B bent. I don’t think I’ve covered Ariana Grande enough. So, I’m setting it right and dedicating this week to the high-flying Ariana Grande.
Good timing, too, as the 31-year-old “Wicked” star released the album “eternal sunshine: deluxe, brighter days ahead.” Besides her songbird-level singing skills, Ariana is known for polished pop songs, the kind that usually has an R&B bent. Then there’s piano-decked ballads, rap collabs, and a club anthem here and there, the latter bringing to mind 2014’s excellent “Problem” and “One Last Time” as examples.
But is Ariana a purveyor of cool-sounding synth-pop? The image of Ariana’s recent Grammy run with “Wicked” seems to contradict that statement. However, Ariana now has the vibing “Twilight Zone” and proves that a decade-plus into her career, she can still surprise. With a dreamy vibe, “twilight zone” (with the stylized lowercase title) sounds like a song time-machined out of the 80’s and updated for the Stranger Things generation.
The track somewhat recalls Gwen Stefani’s 2004 hit “Cool” but breezier and leaning more ballad with a more understated production. Written by Ariana with Max Martin and Ilya Salmanzadeh, the song was inspired by Ariana’s love for the popular 80’s sci-fi series of the same title. This isn’t the first time Ariana has dabbled with synth-pop.
2021 .