With fame comes inevitable scrutiny over a celebrity’s personal life, and that scrutiny only seems to intensify when the celebrity in question is a woman. It’s a phenomenon that Ariana Grande seems to know all too well. But, her latest single brushes the rumor mill aside in an enthusiastic embrace of her “most authentic life.”
Today, Grande dropped “Yes, And?,” the lead single off of her forthcoming seventh studio album, Eternal Sunshine. The bouncy pop anthem is rife with lyrics that hit back at the public’s interest in her private affairs.
Specifically, it seems to reference recent disapproval over her dating life. Last September, Grande filed for divorce from real estate agent Dalton Gomez after two years of marriage. Shortly after, news of Grande’s romance with Wicked costar Ethan Slater emerged, drawing questions from fans who noted that Slater had been married to his high school sweetheart, Lilly Jay, and welcomed the arrival of their first child together just months prior.
Of course, Grande doesn’t mention this gossip explicitly. Instead, she cheekily references the drama throughout, with a biting bridge that recites: “Don’t comment on my body, do not reply / Your business is yours and mine is mine / Why do you care so much whose d*ck I ride?”
In the second verse, too, Grande flippantly dismisses the public’s opinion of her: “Now, I’m so done with caring / What you think, no, I won’t hide / Underneath your own projections / Or change my most authentic life.”
The delectably addictive chorus only cements this sentiment, with Grande inviting the cynics to “say that shit with your chest,” and reminding herself to “be your own fuckin’ best friend” and “keep moving like, ‘What’s next?’ / ‘Yes, and?’”
While the track’s lyrics wink at the scrutiny, the “Yes, And?” music video more forcefully confronts her naysayers. The video opens with a montage of critics who have something to say about the inner workings of her life that they are most definitely not privy to: “Who cares if she’s happy? I don’t want happy, I want art,” “Oh my god, did she really do that?” “Well, I read it on the Internet, so it must be true.” But, in the end, these critics are the ones who are eating their words.
Read the full lyrics below.
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 (No one can tell you nothin’)
Come on and walk this way through the fire (Don’t care what’s on their mind)
And if you find yourself in a dark situation
Just turn on your light and be like
“Yes, and?”
Say that shit with your chest, and
Be your own fuckin’ best friend
Say that shit with your chest
Keep moving like, “What’s next?”
“Yes, and?”
Now, I’m so done with caring
What you think, no, I won’t hide
Underneath your own projections
Or change my most authentic life
Boy, come on, put your lipstick on (No one can tell you nothin’)
Come on and walk this way through the fire (Don’t care what’s on their mind)
And if you find yourself in a dark situation
Just turn on your light and be like
“Yes, and?”
Say that shit with your chest, and
Be your own fuckin’ best friend
Say that shit with your chest
Keep moving like, “What’s next?”
“Yes, and?” (Yeah)
My tongue is sacred, I speak upon what I like
Protected, sexy, discerning with my time (My time)
Your energy is yours and mine is mine (It’s mine, it’s mine)
What’s mine is mine
My face is sitting, I don’t need no disguise (I don’t need no disguise)
Don’t comment on my body, do not reply
Your business is yours and mine is mine
Why do you care so much whose d*ck I ride?
Why?
“Yes, and?” (Yes, and?)
Say that shit with your chest, and (Say that shit with your chest)
Be your own fuckin’ best friend (Oh, be your own, be your own)
Say that shit with your chest (Say that shit with your chest, baby)
Keep moving like, “What’s next?”
“Yes, and?”
“Yes, and?”
Say that shit with your chest, and
Be your own fuckin’ best (Be your own) friend
Say that shit with your chest
Keep moving like, “What’s next?”
“Yes, and?” (Yeah)
As an associate editor at HarpersBAZAAR.com, Chelsey keeps a finger on the pulse on all things celeb news. She also writes on social movements, connecting with activists leading the fight on workers’ rights, climate justice, and more. Offline, she’s probably spending too much time on TikTok, rewatching Emma (the 2020 version, of course), or buying yet another corset.
Sophie Anderson, a UK-based writer, is your guide to the latest trends, viral sensations, and internet phenomena. With a finger on the pulse of digital culture, she explores what’s trending across social media and pop culture, keeping readers in the know about the latest online sensations.
