Yours Truly draws stylistic influences off the music of Grande's artistic inspirations, including singers Whitney Houston, Amy Winehouse, Christina Aguilera and Mariah Carey.

[16] The album is inspired by a variety of different artists, ranging from Amy Winehouse and Christina Aguilera to Mariah Carey and Whitney Houston.

[19][20][21][22] Scott Interrante from PopMatters complimented the music presented in the album and noted that compositionally and production wise, "tropes of both styles are blended together effortlessly.

"[23] As he perceived, "erratic programmed drums support the rich harmonies and piano chords of the more doo-wop songs and the R&B tracks are infused with a wide-eyed optimism more associated with the ‘60s pop style.

"[23] Pitchfork's Andrew Ryce felt that Grande opted "for a 90s hip-hop soul vibe that awkwardly sits with the more doo-wop-indebted songwriting.

"[20] The album opens with an orchestral intro that introduces the first track "Honeymoon Avenue",[24] a downtempo song composed in the key of F-sharp major and set in a 44 time signature at a moderate tempo of 63 beats per minute.

[28][26] Lyrically, "Baby I" is a confession on Grande's behalf admitting a special love for someone and how she can't formulate her strong feelings into words.

[20] Reviewing the song, Jason Lipshutz from Billboard noted that "while Big Sean boasts about his sexual prowess, Grande flaunts her typically impressive melismas before ratcheting up the emotion for the finale.

"[26] The fourth track "Tattooed Heart" is a doo-wop song written in the key of G major with a tempo of 72 beats per minute in compound quadruple (128) time while Grande's vocals spans from D4 to F5.

Due to fan criticism, she quickly unveiled a new cover, which simply featured the singer standing beneath a spotlight in a black-and-white image.

[45] On August 7, 2013, Grande revealed the official track listing via iTunes, and Republic Records made pre-orders for the album available.

[46] A music video for "Almost Is Never Enough" a duet with The Wanted's Nathan Sykes premiered online on Vevo on August 19 to promote the film The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones.

[48] "Popular Song" featuring Grande was released on December 21, 2012, as a single from Mika's third studio album, The Origin of Love.

[63] "The Way" was released to digital retailers through Republic Records in the United States on March 26, 2013, as the album's official lead single.

[64] This made Ariana the first top-10 arrival for a lead female artist making her first Hot 100 appearance since Yael Naim, who launched with "New Soul" in 2008.

[65] Having sold over 219,000 units in its opening week, "The Way" holds the third best-selling first-week sales figure of 2013 behind Justin Timberlake's "Suit & Tie" and One Direction's "Best Song Ever".

[71] It was written by Grande, Carmen Reece, Lonny Bereal, James "J-Doe" Smith, Trey Starxx, Al Sherrod Lambert, Sean Anderson, Jeff Lorber, and Harmony Samuels, who also handled the song's production.

[74] At AllMusic, Matt Collar rated the album four stars out of five, saying that Yours Truly was "surprisingly sophisticated and unique" which showcases Grande's soulful R&B vocals.

"[19] Caramanica commended Grande for becoming the first "identifiable pop star" who takes the "rules of those enterprises, uses them as a foundation, and innovates atop them... She uses the "Glee"/"Idol" template as a jumping-off point to make modern pop-R&B with a sturdy vintage backbone.

"[19] Writing in his track-by-track review Jason Lipshutz from Billboard rated the album an eighty-six out of 100, saying that "Yours Truly carries the expectations of a young singer who has already proven herself on the pop charts, and even if the songs on her debut could not equal the quality of "The Way," Grande had the fan base and powerful pipes to survive a misfire.

"[26] At PopMatters, Scott Interrante rated the album eight discs out of ten, writing that "Minor missteps aside, Yours Truly is ultimately an impressive debut for Grande.

"[30] At The Michigan Daily, Gregory Hicks graded the album a B, saying "most tracks are of quality composition, lyrically and melodically, but beat usage becomes excessive at times.

"[77] Jim Farber of The New York Daily News rated the album three stars out of five, stating that because the "armies of song doctors" that the release is "far more tuneful than Mariah's interchangeable hits.

[80] Yours Truly officially debuted at the top of the US Billboard 200 chart, with 138,000 copies sold in its first week, becoming Grande's first number-one album as a solo artist.

[85] In its second week, the album dropped eight places to number nine selling 31,000 more copies, bringing its total sales in the United States to 169,000.

[135][136] The reissue contains the original twelve tracks as well as the Spanglish version of "The Way" featuring Mac Miller, followed by the six newly recorded "live from London" performances.