“Now I’m so done with caring / What you think, no, I won’t hide / Underneath your own projections / Or change my most authentic life.”
On Friday, Jan. 12, Ariana Grande released her first new single in three years. The new song, entitled “yes, and?,” is a club-ready, certified banger for the girls, gays, and theys who are owning their flaws, reclaiming their truths, and living as their most authentic selves.
With a Madonna-coded beat, Grande glides through a series of sharp verses, a chorus, and a bridge that directly points the finger at her haters.
“Why do you care so much whose d*ck I ride?” she asks.
Image: Republic Records
Grande’s first sighting in the music video for “yes, and?” is in the form of a “see no evil”-esque marble statue that depicts her hiding her eyes. Her statue, and others around it, are broken down as soon as an audience of guests enters the room and sits in front of the statues.
Grande, as an actual person, then emerges alongside a group of dancers, but the singer is now wearing a newsboy cap covering her eyes. It feels like this music video is introducing us to a popstar who’s perhaps tentative about showing her face, being in public, or facing the crowd in front of her. For us, the viewers, it doesn’t take long to realize that this is a direct tribute to Paula Abdul’s “Cold Heart” music video.
While, at first, this feels like a nod to the public discourse surrounding Grande’s relationship status in the last few years, it doesn’t take long for her to reveal her face, toss the hat to the crowd, and dance her life away — all while challenging the audience members in front of her to “say that sh*t with their chest.”
Image: Republic Records
Both the song and video of “yes, and?” are pop-perfection Grande, who’s not only addressing the events in her life but also giving us a perfect pick-me-up song for “sad girl season.”
Her face is sitting, and she doesn’t need a disguise. Ari is f*cking back, babes.
Watch the music video for Ariana Grande’s “yes, and?” — which is now available on all music streaming services.
