This review feels pointless because who really cares about what anyone has to say about Ariana Grande? Well, according to Grande—anyone but her. “yes, and?” marks the start of Ariana Grande’s to-be-titled seventh project, set to release this year.
Years of romantic scrutiny by the public has lead to this: a buoyant, winter jam that shrugs off misplaced commentary, placing peace in its palce.
The poignance of “yes, and?” flips improv’s number-one rule of “yes, and.”, from a continuation of the ongoing conversation in a scene to an unmoving, sass-filled rhetorical question. Grande’s assuredness is a direct recovery from the disdain and uncertainty of 2019’s “thank u, next.” As the lead single for her latest project, listeners easily prance into this new era with a newly restored conviction.
After weeks of teasing and secrecy, “yes, and?” does not disappoint as the first earworm of 2024. Listed as a performer, writer, and producer, the quintuple threat exhibits control over her vocals, sonics, and narrative. Sitting in the background since 2020’s “Positions,” Grande has been hard at work for her dream role of Glinda in the upcoming adaptation of the Broadway musical, “Wicked.” A product of a quiet three years, a jam-packed 2023, and two Hollywood strikes, AG7 comes at as important a moment in the American consciousness as it does for the now 30–year-old child star. After over a decade and a half in the industry, Grande’s growth has been on display since her first album, “Yours Truly” was released in 2013 but “yes, and?” is as direct a deviation as is her platinum blonde locks.
The song itself calls back to pop divine, Madonna, with its “Vogue” interpolation, even drawing a bit of inspiration from Beyoncé’s own lead single “Break My Soul.” Beyond the house influences, both “Break My Soul” and “yes, and?”explore the ideal of overcoming strife and partying on.
“In case you haven’t noticed, well, everybody’s tired / And healin’ from somebody, or somethin’ we don’t see just right / Boy, come on, put your lipstick on” is a strong mirror to Beyonce’s “Now, I just fell in love, And I just quit my job / I’m gonna find new drive, Damn, they work me so damn hard.”
Whereas Beyoncé’s projections of strife seem more like distant storytelling, Grande’s is a direct reaction to the media’s infiltration of her life. Shrugging off the weariness to bounce through the club with reckless abandon is the most rational next step.
The chorus is more pulled back vocally, with the TR 909 drum sample bopping underneath Grande’s feather-light dismissals. “Yes… / And?” she asks, rhetorically before moving on to “what’s next.” In what feels like the soundtrack to Hilary Duff’s fashion model scene in The Lizzie McGuire movie, Grande fills the room with bass and confidence.
Amongst a sonic landscape littered with unnecessary samples, “yes, and?”’s use of Madonna’s seminal work is a tasteful revamp while also operating as a christening from her majesty, herself. “yes, and?” does, however, stand as a pillar representing what could be the peak of this trend of house influence in popular music. Beyoncé herself can be thanked for reintroducing these powerful beats and samples to the masses back in 2022, but Ariana kicks off 2024 by inviting everyone to her ball.
In a Post-Renaissance world, house beats are infiltrating the airwaves but Grande’s longtime connections are notable. 2016’s gay anthem “Be Alright” and its subsequent live performances draw heavily from the ballroom culture that influenced “Renaissance” and Madonna’s own “Vogue.” Although the lyric “Why do you care so much whose dick I ride?” is obviously a bird to flip at the media’s focus on women’s romantic relationships, the line serves as a shoulder bop to her queer fans. A staunch supporter of gay rights (and whose 22nd birthday happens to mark the legalization of same-sex marriages in the United States), Grande seems to shrug off any stranger’s interest in her or anyone else’s bedfellows.
Suffice it to say: this is not new terrain for Grande. But how she marks her spot in the soil is notable and refreshing.
While “yes, and?” feels like a natural progression for pop’s princess, it only creates more anticipation for the sonics and themes of AG7. Will this be her romp through the ballroom, à la Renaissance? Is it a direct standout amongst a collection of soul hits? (Please!)
An always confessional and candid Grande embarks on this next era with a fresh perspective on what you should and should know about her.
So “What’s next?” Although Grande has yet to drop a release date for AG7, fans can flock to theaters in December for the release of “Wicked: Part 1.” Her energetic reemergence from seclusion comes with the caveat of ownership of her “business,” “time,” and “energy.”
