By Sang Kyeong Choi, Staff Writer
After a 4 year-long hiatus, Ariana Grande made her long awaited return to music with her newest single, “Yes, And?” on January 12th.
Following the release of her sixth studio album Positions back in 2020, Grande was cast as Glinda in the upcoming film adaptation of the iconic stage musical Wicked. In May of 2022, she revealed that until filming wrapped, she would be taking an indefinite break from music.
In October of 2023, the artist took to social media to tease upcoming music, seemingly confirming an album release in the upcoming year.
“Yes, and?” is a sassy, bouncy track that serves as an apparent response to the mass disapproval which the artist received in 2022 and 2023, with lyrics such as “Don’t comment on my body, do not reply / Your business is yours and mine is mine” alluding to her unapologetic response to this criticism. Through similar lyrics, Grande seemingly slams the media and their frequent critiques of her private life, showing the listeners know to ignore the haters and live life as they choose.
While receiving much critical praise, the single has mainly received mixed reactions from social media, largely in part to the hot water Grande has found herself in the past year. Shortly after her separation with real estate agent Dalton Gomez, it was reported that her and Wicked costar Ethan Slater were dating. Her and Slater’s relationship timeline is quite unclear, leaving many internet users to question how their relationship came to be, especially considering Slater had just recently welcomed a son with longtime partner, Lilly Jay.
While both parties claimed that their relationship had only begun when they were both single, internet users were left skeptical of the two, leading many to jump on the idea that Grande played a role in the separation of Slater and Jay.
However, it is clear that the much-loved Ariana Grande is ready to make her return to music regardless of what the media thinks of her. The official music video of the track has currently amassed over 24 million views on YouTube, placing it in second place on the platform’s global chart.
