Ariana Grande Gets Sexy in New "Problem" Photos

Only nine more days until we get to hear Ariana Grande’s new single, “Problem,” featuring Iggy Azalea, and judging by the song’s recently released single artwork and accompanying photo shoot, it’s going to be a hot one. In a series of sexy new promotional shots for “Problem,” Grande sports a mod black and white mini dress and poses seductively on the back of a motorcycle, all while sucking on a lollipop. How suggestive! I'm blushing.

There’s been a little concern lately that with “Problem,” Grande is going to take a giant, unnecessary leap from Nickelodeon princess to X-rated video vixen overnight, but even with these hot new images, I don’t think we have to worry about that too much. Yes, the photos are a little more adult than we’re used to seeing, but that's OK, because Grande is an adult! “Problem” just represents the next step in her evolving career. So the now 20-year-old singer wants to shed a little bit of her kiddy image — so what? There's nothing wrong with that. I don’t think Grande's in danger of alienating her younger fans, either.

It’s true, Australian rapper Azalea’s target audience is probably older than Grande’s, but she’s certainly not the most profane rapper in the world, and Grande has worked with other rappers in the past without issue (Mac Miller’s verse on Grande’s debut single “The Way” is pretty tame). I’m sure that a solo version of “Problem” will be sent to kid-friendly radio stations like Radio Disney if necessary, and if Azalea gets a little too rude, a “clean” version of the track will be commissioned, as well. At this early stage in her musical career, Grande is looking to grow her existing fan base — including a rap feature on “Problem,” which will help the song reach new listeners by appealing to multiple radio formats, is a great way to do that! Azalea stands to benefit greatly from the increased exposure, too.

Rumored to be produced by pop music icon Max Martin and co-written by Savan Kotecha (One Direction’s “What Makes You Beautiful”), “Problem” is said to be a fun, up-tempo pop track that will get listeners on their feet (as evidenced by this crazy video of people busting a million moves to the song). Yesterday, Azalea teased on Twitter:

The record is "huge"! Oh my gosh, the anticipation is killing me — I need to hear “Problem” now! How will I ever last nine more days? Check out a couple more “Problem” promotional shots below. You can view the full set of photos on Grande's Twitter.

Images: arianagrande/Instagram; ArianaGrande/Twitter