After a three-year-long hiatus, pop royalty Ariana Grande released “yes, and?” the lead single to her new album “Eternal Sunshine” releasing on March 8. After the hit 2020 album “Positions,” Grande has gone on hiatus and halted the creation and release of music due to the filming of the blockbuster movie “Wicked,” where she plays the lead role of Glinda. Fans and the general public have grown a craving for new music because of the immense popularity of Grande’s past album, and finally, the singer is set to release a new project.
Grande’s latest single released on Friday, Jan. 12, and the reactions are mixed. Some fans love it while others are not too fond of it and believe that the wait was not worth it for such a lackluster lead single. Compared to singles like “thank u, next” and “No Tears Left to Cry,” “yes, and?” is definitely not as strong and powerful as Grande’s other pre-releases.
“I like the instrumentals of the song, but the lyrics weren’t very good,” sophomore Vania Charo said.
However, the song didn’t just come with negative reviews, as many people believed that the song grew on them after their initial listen.
“At first I hated the song but after listening to it it’s not bad. It definitely grew on me,” sophomore Julieta Enciso said.
“Yes, and?” sends a clear message clapping back at all of the rumors that surrounded Grande in the past year, with allegations of her being a homewrecker, comments about her body and her appearance, etc. Lyrics in the song such as “My face is sitting, I don’t need no disguise,” which comments on allegations of Asian-fishing, “Don’t comment on my body, do not reply,” corresponding to the constant comments on Grande’s weight and body type and the lyric that shocked most on their initial listen: “Why do you care so much whose [*****] I ride?”
For her comeback single, the singer definitely did a good job of responding to the rumors that have accumulated about her over the years, whilst also adding a unique sound to the song. The genre of the new single is house-based, which is new for Grande. The song featured a sample of Madonna’s classic hit “Vogue” to fit with the new approach Grande is taking with her music.
Despite the mixed reactions of the single, at midnight when it was released on streaming platforms, Spotify crashed due to the immense activity on the app and website and the song debuted at number two on the Billboard Hot 100 charts. Even with the backlash the song received, it still exceeded chart expectations and even was able to extend her record as the first artist who has had all of their lead singles debut in the top 10 of the Billboard Hot 100 charts.
Overall, the song is something unique from Grande that is refreshing to see after all of her past singles fitting into the pop category. A house music single is something new and interesting that a lot of her peers haven’t done before. With the tone of the lead single being rather different than the rest of the songs she has released, it will be interesting to see what the singer has up her sleeve with her upcoming album, and if it will follow suit with the tone of “yes, and?”
