Ariana Grande.

Ariana Grande — “petal”

The first thing "petal" does is pick up speed. Ariana Grande's latest single opens in a rapid-fire lower-register flow — almost spoken, almost rapped — before opening into something more melodic and exposed. The thesis is defiance dressed in alt-R&B production: she is not what the narrative says she is, and the song's architecture makes that argument in real time.