It’s a triumphant return from pop’s ubiquitous princess. Erupting into the charts, Ariana Grande has come back from her three hiatus with “yes, and?”. The track was released as the lead single of her highly anticipated upcoming seventh album.
Beginning with the use of chopped up samples and syncopated rhythms, the song quickly shows its colors as a house inspired pop song. Bouncing bass keeps the energy live alongside Ariana’s gorgeous, flying voice - the feel of the song is very reminiscent of Madonna’s “Vogue”, perhaps giving a sneak peek at the tone of the new album. The message of the song is carried by soft, sweet vocals that give off an otherworldly, unbothered, and confident quality.
The title is taken straight from any beginner’s acting class: “yes, and?” is the first rule of improv acting, calling into reference her most recent project appearing as Glinda in the new movie adaptation of the beloved Broadway musical Wicked. During the filming process, she found herself in a rough tabloid situation due to an on set romance with her costar, Ethan Slater. The song takes her less than ideal press and flips it on its head, asking why anyone should care so much about her personal life. She brushes off the hate with grace as we all wait with bated breath for her next era.
The music video playfully pokes fun at her critics, showing a story where Ariana slowly wins over a group who make nasty comments about her personal life, but the real callout is in her lyrics: “I’m so done with caring what you think, no I won’t hide underneath your own projections or change my most authentic life.” Her message is clear: mind your own business, and make yourself happy.