Ariana Grande has been an icon since her days in the popular TV shows Victorious and Sam and Cat. After her acting success and recognition, she signed with Republic Records in 2011 and released her first album Yours Truly the same year. Her first real hit came from her on-repeat song, “The Way” featuring Mac Miller. The song premiered on the Billboard’s Hot 100 and became both Grande and Miller’s first top-ten hit.
Since then, Grande has carried the music industry through the years with more and more hits from “Side to Side” off of Dangerous Woman to “7 rings” on Thank U Next. She was focused on her role in the new movie version of the musical “Wicked,” and took a break from her music. Recently, however, fans were beyond thrilled when Ariana posted sneak-peek pictures and videos showing her working in the recording studio this past December.
Not long after, Grande released the first single, “yes, and?” from her upcoming seventh album, with fans speculating the title to be, eternal sunshine. “yes, and?” has a catchy, upbeat 80s production, that has brought with its release plenty of mixed feelings. As with any artist, there are always doubts and plenty of opinions expressed by fans wanting her music, and image, to stay exactly the same. However there seems to be a deeper meaning to the new tune.
“yes, and?” appears to be Grande’s way of addressing rumors and shutting down the negativity. She sings lines like, “Now I’m so done with caring,” and “Your business is yours and mine is mine,” showing her carefree attitude towards the critics and their judgment. Being a celebrity has its perks, but also some extreme backlash. Because of her long break from the immediate spotlight, people were eager to vocalize their opinions when alleged drama surfaced on the “Wicked” set. Rumors flew pointing fingers towards Grande and her co-star, Ethan Slater, and a speculated secret relationship between the two. Grande quickly responded to these accusations at the end of the song with a clever rhyme and somewhat scandalous end to the bridge, singing, “Why do you care so much whose I ride?” “yes, and?” is an upbeat diss track directed to all the people who shared their unwanted criticism towards Grande and responds effectively to their comments without her having to directly address anything.
Grande is such an essential part of the pop industry and her new album will undoubtedly be a success. Even with the critics trying to shut her down, Grande rises to the top of the charts and playlists as always, “yes, and?” reaching Apple Music’s top song worldwide the day of release. She will likely continue to perform similarly with her upcoming work.