Ariana Grande is “so done with caring what you think” about her! The pop singer, 30, ended her three-year hiatus from music by releasing her new song, “Yes, And?” and its lyrics are calling out the haters amid her ongoing romance with boyfriend Ethan Slater.
The track was released on Friday, January 12, and nods to the iconic pop sound from Madonna’s 1980s hit single “Vogue.” The first verse begins with Ariana singing, “In case you haven’t noticed / Well, everybody’s tired / and healing from somebody / or something we don’t see just right.
“Now I’m so done with caring what you think,” she sings in the second verse. “No I won’t hide underneath your own projections or change my most / authentic life. … Your business is yours and mine is mine / Why do you care so much whose d**k I ride.”
The song then builds up to the chorus with the lyric, “Boy, come on put your lipstick on (No one can tell you nothing) / 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.”
how listening to “yes, and?” by ariana grande got me feeling like pic.twitter.com/HvuCS9bYKi
— noah 💋 (@bloodlineprint) January 12, 2024
“Yes, and? / Say that s**t with your chest,” Ariana sings in the chorus. “And be your own f**kin’ best / Friends say that s**t with your chest / Keep moving like ‘What’s next? / Yes, and?”
In addition to dropping the song, the “Break Free” artist also teased the music video for “Yes, And?” via Instagram. The full clip was released at 7 a.m. PST / 10 a.m. EST on January 12. In the video directed by London Alley’s Christian Breslauer several music executives and other professionals are seen talking behind Ariana’s back as they seemingly make their way over to hear her new album, which is addressed as ag7. The clip informs viewers, “11:55 a.m. the critics arrive.”
“I miss the old Ari, you know, the singer,” one character says after stepping off the elevator. A separate duo of critics continue to gossip as they walk through an office building, with one saying, “Oh my god, did she really do that?” In response, the other character points out, “Well, I read it on the internet, so it must be true.”
Although she never mentions Ethan, 31, by name in her single, the Don’t Look Up actress’ message is clear: she is done with the online bullying and criticism. Ever since she and the Broadway actor started dating last summer, they’ve received intense backlash from fans because Ethan was still reportedly married to his estranged wife, Lilly Jay, when his relationship with Ariana became public knowledge. Lily — who shares a child with Ethan — also slammed Ariana at the time by noting that the Wicked star is “not a girl’s girl.”
Ariana and Ethan first met in late 2022 on the set of the upcoming live-action adaptation of Wicked. Within a few months, Ariana and her now-ex-husband, Dalton Gomez, quietly split. By July 2023, multiple outlets reported that Ariana and Dalton had separated and that she was dating Ethan. That month, Ethan filed for divorce from Lilly. Ariana finalized her divorce from Dalton in October 2023.