In the album's production, Grande worked with a host of producers and co-writers, including Max Martin, Shellback, Benny Blanco, Ryan Tedder, Darkchild, Ilya Salmanzadeh, Zedd, and David Guetta.

Grande sought for My Everything to sound as "an evolution" from her debut album Yours Truly (2013); exploring more mature and diverse lyrical content and musical styles.

Iggy Azalea, Zedd, Big Sean, Cashmere Cat, Childish Gambino, The Weeknd and A$AP Ferg make guest appearances on My Everything, as well as Jessie J and Nicki Minaj on the deluxe edition.

My Everything debuted atop the Billboard 200 albums chart in the United States, selling 169,000 copies in its first week, marking Grande's second consecutive chart-topper in the US.

The lead single, "Problem", broke numerous digital sales records upon release, and peaked at number two on the US Billboard Hot 100.

Later that month, in an interview with Rolling Stone, Grande stated that she had begun writing and working on her second studio album and had already completed two songs.

[1] Recording sessions began in October 2013 with Grande working with previous producers from her debut album Harmony Samuels and Tommy Brown.

[4] In January 2014, Grande confirmed she had been working with new producers Ryan Tedder, Savan Kotecha, Benny Blanco, Key Wane and Max Martin.

[5][6][7] Grande stated in late February that she wanted to name her album after a song she had finished that weekend that is very honest and makes her cry.

[12][13] Two days following the announcement, Grande revealed that due to the song's delay, she would be releasing the first single from her upcoming second studio album instead.

Billboard described it as "A moody ballad that grows stickier upon each listen, "Best Mistake" carries a tidy collection of impressive production details, the momentary string stabs among them".

[37][38] "Love Me Harder", featuring The Weeknd, is a mid-tempo synthpop and R&B song,[39][40][41] which starts small before its "'throbbing', electro-heavy chorus",[42] with a guitar riff,[43] while "big vacuum-esque synths zip" can be heard throughout the track.

[20][45] Official Charts compared the eleventh track, "Hands on Me", featuring ASAP Ferg, with Rihanna's "Cockiness (Love It)" (2012) and Azalea's "Fancy" (2014).

[45] Jason Lipshutz of Billboard described "Hands on Me" as "an out-of-left-field banger that removes Grande from her teenybopper phase and finds the 21-year-old discovering her inner Rihanna with lines.

"[20] The title track "My Everything" concludes the standard edition of the album on a somber note, recalling "Intro", and concerns Grande's struggles to regain the solid footing she once had with her partner.

[60] Grande premiered her first single "Problem", which features Australian rapper Iggy Azalea, at the 2014 Radio Disney Music Awards and released it for digital download later that night on April 28, 2014.

[78] The fourth single, "Love Me Harder", which features Canadian PBR&B artist The Weeknd, was released to rhythmic crossover radio on September 30, 2014.

[91] Rob Sheffield, writing for Rolling Stone, says, "My Everything proves, she's already a major force" on a release showing how Grande is growing up because "It's a confident, intelligent, brazen pop statement, mixing bubblegum diva vocals with EDM break-beats.

"[99] Adam Markovitz says for Entertainment Weekly how "Grande has picked a set of songs so lyrically bland, sonically inoffensive, and artistically empty that they produce a zero-impact experience—musical vanilla fro-yo poured directly into your ears.

"[94] Markovitz states, "It's by no means painful; there are even moments of fun, including the thigh-high-boot swagger of summer smashes 'Problem' and 'Bang Bang,' both of which borrow their strut from coheadliners Iggy Azalea and Jessie J with Nicki Minaj, respectively.

"[94] Mikael Wood, writing on behalf of the Los Angeles Times, finds Grande in impressive form because she is "deeply cheerful yet with guns blazing, an innocent newcomer no more.

"[96] Elysa Gardner, on behalf of USA Today, writes that Grande "digs into ballads and more emotionally earnest fare" simultaneously, doing so with a "girlish playfulness... and a sense of growing confidence", and she is "Blending sugar and spice" together to create a pleasing concoction to satisfy the varying palates of her supporters.

"[100] Stephen Thomas Erlewine says for AllMusic that "Grande doesn't embody the songs the way an old-fashioned diva would, but she functions as a likeable pop ringleader, stepping aside when the track calls for it and then unleashing a full-throated wail when it's her time to shine.

[93] Gary Graff says on behalf of The Oakland Press that it is "a solid step forward for Grande, which makes 'there's more to see' an intriguing promise rather than a threat.

[103] In a more mixed review, Jim Farber from the New York Daily News writes that Grande's "sexed-up" vocals and range are shown off but the "constant jerking back and forth between styles interrupts any sense of flow.

Club how it "is so well-constructed and designed to succeed, it rarely loosens up enough to let any depth of character (or real surprises) surface", yet it "further establishes Grande as a consummate performer and vocal interpreter.

[97] Evan Sawdey, writing for PopMatters, commented that Grande mimicks other artists, leaving her distinguished voice with only the support of hollow lyricism.

[106] Writing for Vibe magazine, Adelle Platon was positive towards the album's sound and compared Grande's vocals to those of Mariah Carey and Christina Aguilera.

[107] Andrew Chan, writing on behalf of Slant Magazine, stated that Grande "emphasizes the sheer fun of singing over any sense of emotional urgency", yet "What her voice lacks in depth, texture, and variety will probably take time to acquire.

In Japan, My Everything remained atop the iTunes Store chart for nine weeks, thus earning Grande the longest at number one in 2014, breaking the previous record held by Frozen: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack.