Ariana Grande has surprised fans with the release of a new 12-track live album, ‘Petal (The Complete Live Album)’, arriving on Tuesday morning, 8 September. The unexpected release features live renditions of every song from her latest studio album, ‘Petal’, giving listeners a chance to hear the project in a concert setting rather than its original studio form.
The album was released as an iTunes exclusive and was announced by Grande in an early-morning social media post. The singer confirmed that the collection contains all 12 tracks from the studio record, making it a complete live counterpart to the original album.
Among the performances are live versions of ‘Kiss Me’, ‘Petal’, ‘Stay’, ‘Oh Well’, ‘Big Feelings’, ‘Freak’ and ‘Warning Signs’. The collection also includes a version of the album’s lead single, ‘Hate That I Made You Love Me’, recorded during a rehearsal for Grande’s recently completed Eternal Sunshine Tour.
The remaining tracks — ‘Like I Do’, ‘Never Get Over Me’, ‘Bad Thing (Bunny Hop)’ and ‘Nowhere, Nobody’ — also appear in live form. Taken together, the release offers fans a full concert-oriented interpretation of the 12-song project, preserving the set list while highlighting the differences that can emerge when studio recordings are adapted for the stage.
The surprise release comes shortly after Grande concluded her Eternal Sunshine Tour. The singer performed the final show of the tour in London on 1 September, bringing an extended run of performances to an end. The concert also attracted considerable attention for another change to the lyrics of her hit song ‘Thank U, Next’.
During the London performance, Grande altered a line in the song to reference Ricky Alvarez, her former boyfriend. She sang a revised lyric referring to having written songs about Ricky and trying to make him her last, prompting renewed speculation that the pair could be rebuilding their relationship.
Grande and Alvarez previously dated from 2015 to 2016. They met while working together during Grande’s Honeymoon Tour, when Alvarez was part of her dance team. Their relationship ended after roughly a year, but recent public interactions have reignited interest in their personal lives.
The speculation intensified last month after Grande shared several selfies, including photographs showing her close to Alvarez, who previously worked as one of her backing dancers. Neither has publicly confirmed that they are romantically involved again, leaving fans to interpret the singer’s recent comments and social media posts for themselves.
The new album also arrives at a period when Grande has indicated that she is reassessing her public commitments. In early August, she said she was taking “a step back” from public engagements amid what she described as ongoing public scrutiny. Around the same period, she withdrew from her planned co-starring role in the West End revival of ‘Sunday in the Park With George’.
Grande’s decision came amid growing attention surrounding her professional schedule and public life. Her ‘Wicked’ co-star Jonathan Bailey later announced that he would also leave the production.
With the release of ‘Petal (The Complete Live Album)’, Grande has nevertheless maintained a strong connection with her music audience following the conclusion of her tour. The project gives fans a new way to experience all 12 songs from ‘Petal’, while its surprise arrival adds another unexpected chapter to an already eventful period in the singer’s career.
