Don’t start with that Curtis stuff, Toby. I don’t have any flow and I don’t want to start with a lie! And rappers wear clothes that I don’t like. You’re trying to hurt me, I’m sure of it. Now can we focus on Ariana Grande?

Well, the first thing that struck me is that I find that the verses on this track – and this is also the case for her whole latest album Eternal Sunshine actually – reconnect a bit more with the style of Ariana Grande’s early songs, which leaves more room for her exceptional voice. She goes back a bit more to pop to move away from the hip-hop that she explored more with “thank u, next” (we agree that this track is more hip-hop, Toby?). I also don’t know of many pop songs with such a success (+1 billion streams on Spotify) that have such a long intro, but it sets the mood. For the subliminal message and the cry from the heart, I’m happy to talk about them, but it’s not the first thing that struck me, so Toby, I’ll kindly let you answer me.

After analyzing the video and the lyrics, it seems clear to me that this is a message addressed to her detractors. It’s a fed up but also a pretty sharp criticism. The video, in summary, is a panel of doubtful critics who enter a kind of empty garage. Ariana will then appear and perform with dancers. She will literally say “yes, and?” to these critics. In my opinion the whole message is “Yes I do this or that in my personal life, and?” or “Yes I made this comment on social media, and?”, but obviously said like that, the haters would strike again. So Ariana chose to be a little more subtle. And I mean a little.

However, in the video, despite this affirmation of her personality in front of this panel of doubtful journalists, they become completely fan of the song. Has Ariana Grande gone crazy and does she think her songs are the best? Obviously not, given her warm thanks at every stage of her success. It’s more to highlight the pure madness of journalists and haters on social networks: instead of ignoring her and having a normal reaction, by this misplaced criticism / hatred, they implicitly acknowledge that Ariana Grande has a crazy success and even that some appreciate her titles while acting like scum – because going to look for details of personal life and criticizing them in a people “magazine” is an invitation for haters to strike and make money on it is ugly.

It’s not a provocation. You have to put these pseudo-elites in their place without alienating them. Obviously the message has to be ambiguous: otherwise it would never have been broadcasted and it would have given the impression that Ariana was being bitter.

Also, this song needs to speak to her fans and the public, so there must be a double message. A useful message, not a self-centered one – that would be boring! The second reading, the one at face value, is an invitation to let your personality shine through in the face of adversity and to avoid letting jerks dictate your behavior. Singing about your self-confidence when you lack it, to empower yourself to succeed, in short. That speaks to a lot of people.

But Ariana pulled off a little trick by getting two messages across that ultimately concern her: she too struggles with self-confidence and is trying to motivate herself. Evidence of Ariana’s lack of confidence? Deleting her old X / Twitter account is generally a sign that you can’t or don’t want to face the daily criticism you can read there anymore. When you’re solid, you don’t need to do that. And you don’t need to sing about it either.

Unfortunately, will her message be heard by her detractors? I doubt it. But it’s still good to hear a different perspective.

Daring? Sure, but if she had done that, this would be her last album and it would never have seen the light of day. 😂 If you target certain people too hard, even with an international career, it can be reduced to dust in an instant. I think she knows that.

You’re right though, it is paradoxical, but it’s also a necessity because giving away your weaknesses directly is also exposing yourself too much. And besides, this is Ariana Grande, activism isn’t her goal. I already appreciate what she’s been able to do.

My musical analysis superpowers are limited to Ariana Grande, Dua Lipa and Énola. 😂

And stop buttering me up: I’m not playing poker with you tonight!

Absolutely, it’s a mantra, but Hakuna Matata is a brilliant song that puts a smile back on your face and it’s an important step in Simba’s life for his final battle. So Ariana is already taking a first step, and maybe she’s on Simba’s trail to face Scar, who knows 😉

It’s such a mantra that one verse of the song is sung almost in a whisper, as if we could hear an inner voice. She even asks “Why do you care so much who I ride? [at night]”, in other words why is there an article about every man she meets? These rather explicit lyrics were hidden in this verse so that it wouldn’t be awkward to listen to. If at first I found it daring, on reflection it’s quite well played.