Ariana Grande is back with a vengeance. On Friday, January 12, the pop singer released her much anticipated single “yes, and?” after a three year hiatus. “Yes, and?” debuted at number one on Global Spotify with 11.21 million streams, making it Grande’s biggest Spotify debut in her career. It also topped the iTunes and Apple Music charts and has catapulted Grande into her new era of music for the first time since her Grammy nominated album from 2020, Positions.
“Yes, and?” is something brand new for Grande. Since the beginning of her career, Grande has kept a rather consistent pop sound. At times she has experimented with hip-hop beats and R & B instrumentals but “yes, and?” features dance and house beats reminiscent of the 80s and 90s.
“Yes, and?” was written and produced by Grande along with Max Martin and Ilya Salmanzadeh and uses an interpolation of the 1990 hit song “Vogue” by Madonna. The Madonna reference excited many fans, but what really got the attention of so many people were the lyrics of the song which allude to recent controversies the singer has been caught in.
In July 2023, reports came out on multiple news websites claiming that Grande had split with her husband of two years, Dalton Gomez. Shortly after their breakup was announced rumors started circulating that Grande was already in a new relationship with her co-star Ethan Slater from her upcoming movie Wicked. The reason the news of this new relationship was shocking to so many people was because Slater had just separated from his wife whom he had a child with. In light of this, the internet immediately began to tear Grande apart, calling her a homewrecker and a cheater despite the fact that none of the rumors had been confirmed by reliable sources.
Until the release of “yes, and?,” Grande had remained relatively silent about the rumors. “Yes, and?” acted as a response to all the negativity surrounding her. Grande sings, “I’m so done with caring what you think, no I won’t hide” and “Your business is yours and mine is mine” telling people to mind their own business and to leave her alone.
Putting the context of the song aside, it is a good comeback single for the pop star. It introduces a new sound that is likely to be a recurring theme on future music she may be releasing. Grande has had her fair share of controversies but despite her personal affairs, I believe “yes, and?” is a good track that solidifies her as a force in the music industry. While it is most definitely not her best lead single in recent years, it is a fun song that highlights Grande’s vocals and is sure to become a staple in the future of dance music. Personally, I am excited to see what Grande has in store for us in this new era of music and on her upcoming album Eternal Sunshine that is set to be released on March 8.
“Yes, and?”: 7.8/10