Ariana Grande has been notably absent from the pop scene the last few years, but she returns today with “yes, and?,” her first new music since 2020’s positions. Grande wrote and produced the song—which harks back to classic Madonna dance jams like “Vogue” and “Express Yourself”—with Swedish aces ILYA and Max Martin, both frequent collaborators.
“yes, and?” is a song about believing in yourself, shrugging off criticism, and moving past traumas to find happiness. In the first verse, Ariana, who’s recently divorced, explains that she’s not the only one who’s dealing with stuff at the moment. We all have our crosses to bear, which is why we should be more empathetic toward one another.
In case you haven’t noticed
Well, everybody’s tired
And healin’ from somebody
Or somethin’ we don’t see just right
The pre-chorus is all about following your own path, even if that means defying gender norms.
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
On the chorus, Grande possibly references her late ex-boyfriend Mac Miller’s 2018 song “Jet Fuel,” which contains the line, “Better say that shit with your chest.” The phrase “yes, and?” may be a nod to improvisational theater. Improv actors are trained to get into a “yes, and” mindset, which means accepting and building on what your fellow performers bring to a given scene.
“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)
Ariana addresses gossipers and body shamers on the bridge. These people need to step away from social media and worry about themselves.
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
“yes, and?” arrives with a dance-centric music video that plays like an homage to Paula Abdul’s legendary “Cold Hearted Snake” clip, which itself was inspired by a rehearsal scene in the 1979 film All That Jazz.
You can read all the lyrics to “yes, and?” on Genius now.
