Ariana Grande surprise-releases live 'Petal' album exclusively on iTunes

Ariana Grande has released a live version of her latest album, petal, as a surprise iTunes exclusive. The record, titled petal (The Complete Live Album), appeared Tuesday morning with live renditions of all 12 tracks from the studio LP, according to Billboard and NME. Among the tracks are concert versions of "Kiss Me," "Petal," "Stay," "Oh Well," "Big Feelings," "Freak" and "Warning Signs," Billboard reported.

The set also includes a live take of the lead single, "Hate That I Made You Love Me," recorded during a rehearsal for the just-concluded Eternal Sunshine tour. Grande announced the release in an early morning social media post, directing fans to the iTunes download. The live album arrives one week after Grande closed the Eternal Sunshine tour with a final London show on Sept. 1.

During that performance she again tweaked the lyrics to "Thank U, Next," singing, "Wrote some songs about Ricky / I'm tryna make him my last," a reference to on-again boyfriend Ricky Alvarez, according to Billboard. In early August, Grande said she was "taking a step back" from public engagements amid "ongoing public scrutiny," and she has since withdrawn from the West End revival of Sunday in the Park With George, in which she was due to appear with Wicked co-star Jonathan Bailey next summer, NME reported. Speaking to fans at a Chicago concert last month, Grande described the decision as neither "reactive or impulsive."

"It was something that I have decided," she said. "A plan that I had quietly made a long time ago. It was a decision that was made from a thoughtful and empowered place." Grande has described the album as written from "an unfiltered rage," a sharper emotional register than the warm tones of her 2024 album eternal sunshine. The tour's end coincides with a broader retreat from public life.