Ariana Grande Drops New Single ‘Yes, And?’ as a Defiant Response to Personal Life Rumors

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 separated from real estate agent Slater after two years of marriage. Shortly after, news of Grande’s romance with Wicked costar drew 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?”

The track’s lyrics wink at the scrutiny, the accompanying 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. But, in the end, these critics are the ones who are eating their words.