Pop star Ariana Grande began teasing that she had new music on the way back in December of last year by cryptically referring to it on her socials and even posting a “see you next year” message on her Instagram. The hype train went into overdrive last week, however, culminating in the tease of a new album on the way and the arrival of “yes, and?” — the album’s house-inflected lead single.
Ariana teams once again with the legendary Max Martin and ILYA for the song’s production, and they infuse it with a poppy, early-’90s dance sound that immediately evokes the club mixes of Madonna, Mariah Carey and Janet Jackson from the era. It begins with bright, bouncy stabs of synth piano that are met with the singer's backing vocal and eager, hi-hat-led percussion that begs us to dance.
Meanwhile, Ariana seizes the moment to give her fans a pep talk while also admonishing critics commenting on her weight and their obsession with “whose d**k I ride.” She sums it all up with a call to action to move beyond the naysayers on the chorus. “‘Yes, and?’ / Say that s**t with your chest, and / Be your own f**kin’ best friend,” she sings defiantly. “Say that s**t with your chest / Keep moving like, ‘What’s next?’ / ‘Yes, and?’”
She looks to another pop diva of the late ’80s/early ’90s for the song’s music video. The visual cribs heavily from Paula Abdul’s clip for her 1989 single “Cold Hearted.” It opens with critics walking into a studio after being invited there for an exclusive performance from Ariana Grande herself. They have much to say about the singer as they make their way to their seats in front of stone sculptures.
As the song begins, those statues crumble and out walks Ariana and her crew of dancers who give them a performance they won’t soon forget. She doesn’t steal any moves from Paula directly, but the spirit of “Cold Hearted” is definitely in the house as she eventually wins the cynical bunch over with toe-tapping approval. She even gets them a little hot and bothered thanks to a well-placed heat lamp before getting some of them to join in her fun before she and the dancers magically turn into the stone statues we saw at the beginning of the performance.
“yes, and?” might deliver on the goods that the pop princess has become well-known for, but it also demonstrates a musical maturity that we haven’t always seen from the star. Could this new era bring even more flirtations with house (and maybe even R&B)? We’ll find out whenever she decides to officially announce the name and release date of her new project. Until then, check out the stream and visual for “yes, and?” when you head below.
