Every Ariana Grande Album Cover, Ranked
Ariana Grande is one of pop’s biggest trend-setters, in music and beyond. From her sky-high ponytail — which has been dyed a rainbow of different hues over the years — to her long sweatshirt sleeves and thigh-scraping boots, the singer has carved out a style that’s just as singular as her R&B-infused pop anthems or her physics-defying vocals.
The Boca Raton native’s unique ability to make a statement is evident across her album covers, too. From her 2013 debut with Yours Truly to her 2024 concept album Eternal Sunshine, inspired in part by the Jim Carrey- and Kate Winslet-starring 2004 sci-fi romance of the same name, Grande and her team have honed the art of capturing the essence of a body of music and translating it into visual artwork, which stands out in any given record store or Target CD section.
But like almost everything else in life, some works are better than others. And while each of Grande’s millions of fans surely has their own favorite of the Grammy winner’s collection of LPs, a few of her covers rule supreme over the rest.
Many different aspects can make or break an album cover, be it choosing just the right photograph, using colors that visually represent the contents of the project or employing props and graphic design pieces that add, not detract from, the overall vibe. The same goes for Grande’s, which over the course of her career have boasted a diverse selection of hairstyles, palettes and poses, and (of course) the occasional bunny mask.
Following yesterday’s ranking of her six pre-Sunshine albums, below see Billboard’s ranking of Grande’s album covers from worst to best. And to those who say that judging artwork is subjective and therefore pointless, our response: Yes, and?
Hannah Dailey
Billboard