By: Madison Smith
From acting and singing to perfumes to makeup; Ariana Grande has done it all.
Grande finally released a new single after three years called “yes, and?” and although I have never been happier — there are many mixed emotions about the song. Compared to her previous records, this song is a completely different version of Grande’s music. This song gives us a sultry and house type of vibe, so if you are into that type of music you will most likely be obsessed with it whether you are a fan of Grande or not.
“yes, and?” — the lead single off of Grande’s seventh album “eternal sunshine,” — is her way of telling her haters she does not care about what they say about her. “yes, and?” interpolates the
song “Vogue” by Madonna released in 1990 with its u-beat and catchy melody.
“This song is culturally relevant,” said fourth-year applied health major Emma Frazier.
Grande’s previous lead singles such as, “Thank U, Next,” “No Tears Left To Cry” and “The Way” were entirely pop while “yes, and?” incorporates a new sound for Grande. I may be biased as I consider myself one of her biggest fans but, after listening to the song over and over again, it is now one of my favorite Ariana Grande songs.
Grande took a three-year break from the music industry so that she could focus on the upcoming movie adaption of the musical “Wicked,” in which she stars as Glinda The Good Witch. To say that her comeback was long-awaited is an understatement as “yes, and?” hit number one on the Billboard Hot 100 this past week.
But, this song has stirred up another controversy for Grande. Grande had quite a lot of drama over the summer of 2023 as she had been photographed not wearing her wedding ring. A week later it came out that she had divorced her husband of two years and is now in a relationship with “Wicked” co-star Ethan Slater. This sparked up alleged homewrecking allegations as Slater was still married and his wife had just given birth to their first child. Some of the lyrics in “yes, and?” stir the pot even more as Grande is pretty much saying she doesn’t care what the haters say about her or her relationship with Ethan Slater.
Some people appeared to have hated Grande after these allegations came out and stopped listening to her music completely, while others claimed to have hated her but were fans of the new song. I have noticed throughout this drama unfolding — and the release of her new song — that people have a hard time separating the art from the artist.
“I truly lost respect for her [Grande] as a person, but it didn’t make me like her music any
less,” said third-year psychology major Maddy Barreto.
I’ve been a huge Ariana Grande fan for the past 12 years of my life, so I find it very interesting that the same people who hated her for the alleged homewrecking over the summer are now fans of the song “yes, and?” This might just be telling of how good the song is.
“yes, and?” is an upbeat and catchy song that will make you feel so many different
emotions. Whether you love her or hate her, Grande knows how to make a hit song. As this is the lead single from her upcoming album, “eternal sunshine,” we will hopefully be hearing more songs similar to “yes, and?” in the future.
