Arjan Timmermans believes that her reemergence in late 2018 was the start of the mainstream’s pop rebound. “Rapidly after [her fourth studio album] Sweetener, she put out [new single] ‘Thank U, Next,’ ” he says. “She was releasing music at the speed of streaming.”
This new “speed of streaming” process is largely associated to rap music, where artists are known to release new songs at faster, less predictable rates, without lengthy promotional pushes or even accompanying albums. Between this, and Beyoncé's epic surprise release six years ago, the roll-out strategies of a new album has seen both artists present themselves as the ultimate game changers. Times have changed, the music industry has changed, and therefore a lot of artists are adapting to these new changes.
I don't really care for these changes as I miss the oldschool traditional roll-outs where an artist would take their time and work on their art for as long as they needed to ensure they put out a quality product. What happened to wanting to put time and effort into creating a body of work that will stand the test of time? I just can't imagine any of my favourite artists releasing two studio albums in a space of six months (which is basically what Ariana did) simply because they wanted to remain at the top of streaming, when they should be releasing music from the soul.
I just don't think it's cool that an artist feels the need to release rapidly in fear of being left behind. Then they end up putting out this disposable and forgettable microwaved crap that no one will even remember five years from now.