Ariana Grande Just Dropped a Live Album to Mark the End of the Sweetener World Tour

"k bye for now (swt live)" dropped Sunday night.

Ariana Grande "Sweetener World Tour" - London
(Image credit: Kevin Mazur)

What a holiday season it's been for Ariana Grande fans! (Are we still using Arianators?) Yes, the Sweetener World Tour has come to an end, but leave it to Ari to know exactly how to console us: Grande dropped a live album from the tour, appropriately titled k bye for now (swt live). And it's a big one, with 32 entire tracks and guest appearances from Nicki Minaj, Childish Gambino, and Big Sean. If you need me, I'll be listening to a particularly gorgeous performance of "NASA" (favorite of Chrissy Teigen and Luna Stephens) and maybe or maybe not wailing.

Grande confirmed the live album would drop after the final show, at The Forum in Los Angeles, writing on Twitter, "a little something to thank u for everything and to make saying goodbye to this chapter a lil easier." Our benevolent angel!

It's been an emotional tour for Grande, who's been dealing with the deadly bombing at her 2017 Manchester show, the loss of her ex Mac Miller, and her split from Pete Davidson—an enormous amount for one human to handle. When fans expressed concern after she cried on stage, she posted (and subsequently deleted) a sincere message on social media, as Elle reported, which read in part, "I feel everything very intensely and have committed to doing this tour during a time in my life when I’m still processing my humanness … so sometimes I cry a lot! I thank you for accepting my humanness."

"I’m not sure what I did to deserve to meet so many loving souls every night / to feel so much love, but I want you to know that it really does carry me through. I feel it and I appreciate it. And all of you so much," Grande continued.

She ended with a thoughtful message of hope and support for her fans. "I’m sharing this because I’m grateful and because I want you to know that if you too are hurting, you can push through and are not alone," Grande wrote. "It is hard to balance taking care of the people around you, doing your job, and healing / taking care of yourself at the same time… but I want you to know, you aren’t alone and I think you’re doing great. Love you."

One more thing about the Sweetener World Tour: Grande, in partnership with the organization HeadCount, made huge strides in encouraging young people to vote, with over 30,000 people registering or pledging to vote at her shows, according to the Guardian. Universe, I ask you honestly: What did we do to deserve Ari? 

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Emily Dixon
Morning Editor

Emily Dixon is a British journalist who’s contributed to CNN, Teen Vogue, Time, Glamour, The Guardian, Wonderland, The Big Roundtable, Bust, and more, on everything from mental health to fashion to political activism to feminist zine collectives. She’s also a committed Beyoncé, Kacey Musgraves, and Tracee Ellis Ross fan, an enthusiastic but terrible ballet dancer, and a proud Geordie lass.