“The Voice” alum Ariana Grande is dropping hints about her highly anticipated album, “Petal,” ahead of its release on Friday, July 31.
Ariana Grande Introduces Her Character Pepper
To celebrate her new album, Grande posted a visual teaser on Instagram that will be released the same day as the album. The black-and-white clip shows Grande as a budding entertainer named Pepper, who is her alter ego for the full-length LP.
The short video is done in a retro style and shows Grande (or Pepper) approaching an unfriendly receptionist before an audition. Pepper is told to wait her turn and is not given special treatment, which is a common experience for aspiring entertainers in the industry. The clip doesn’t elaborate on what Pepper is there to audition for, but it’s suspected to be the beginning of a music video or short film created to accompany her new LP.
Grande Says Music Helped Rebuild Her Relationship With Fame
The first track from “Petal,” “Hate That I Made You Love Me,” is one Grande performs every night of her Eternal Sunshine Tour, according to Billboard. The tour began on June 6, and Grande has hinted that it may be her last for a while, crediting the album and her turn as Glinda in “Wicked” with rebuilding her relationship with music and fame.
For now, she wants to focus on creative projects that feel good to her, whether that be music, acting or musical theater. She will also be appearing in “Focker-in-Law” with Robert De Niro and Ben Stiller.
“Petal” is Grande’s first full-length album since 2024, and she announced its release on Instagram in April. It’s a collaboration between Grande and Ilya Salman. The singer told People that its title is a tribute to growth, healing, and finding beauty after difficult seasons.
This latest video is not the only tease she’s posted, and fans have also seen photos of her at a mixing board, holding a microphone, and even scrolling through audio files. It was also suspected that a photo of delicate flowers she posted alluded to the album.
Ricky Alvarez Romance Rumors Continue to Grow
Rumors have also been circulating of a reconciliation between Grande and former boyfriend Ricky Alvarez, who was seen dancing in the audience during her concert in Brooklyn during her performance of “Imperfect for You.”The two are reportedly “taking things very slowly” but have been spending a lot of time together recently. They were also spotted together in Central Park, and Alvarez had his arm around the pop singer.
A source interviewed by Page Six also said that the two were reuniting, but that Grande isn’t rushing back into a relationship with the former backup dancer at this time because she has a lot on her plate. Ricky has remained close with her family and has made efforts to support her on tour, but they’re taking things slowly since she’s fresh out of a breakup.
Speculation of a reconciliation first began in late June when they were seen hanging out with friends in Austin, Texas, and intensified when they were photographed during a Fourth of July weekend grocery store run at Whole Foods. She also soft-launched him in an Instagram post on July 27.
