Is Eternal Sunshine Going to Be Pop Perfection? “Yes, And?”
Photo credit: Katia Temkin
“My tongue is sacred, I speak upon what I like.” And she sure does.
Ariana Grande’s much-anticipated entry back into pop-domination has been speculated, discussed, debated, whatever you want to call it. And finally, after what seemed like decades of waiting, Ms. Grande released her major single off of her upcoming album (then being referred to as AG7): “yes, and?” The track is a disco-house mix with lyrics consisting of vague yet empowering “don’t listen to what the haters say; be your own self and stay true to you” mantras. Shutting down all the homewrecking accusations, Ms. Grande makes it a point to call out her romantic life with the line, “Why do you care so much whose d*** I ride?” She has an enigmatic way of clapping back without being too obvious or giving listeners too many clues. The vocals are, of course, ethereal and on-point; it’s Ariana Grande, what would you expect? The music, which was interpolated from Madonna’s “Vogue,” is a classic house chord sequence with a groovy 808 drum beat––that of Azealia Banks’ EP 1991 or Beyonce’s Renaissance era. The song was produced by Max Martin, a Swedish pop god known for his work on hits such as Taylor Swift’s original 1989 album and Britney Spears’ …Baby One More Time. He has the magic touch when it comes to catchy and ear worm worthy hooks. However, many fans of Ms. Grande have taken to TikTok, Reddit, and X (formerly Twitter) to complain that “yes, and?” couldn’t even be helped by Mr. Martin.
People are comparing the new track to the ambience that plays in H&M dressing rooms, calling it “underwhelming” and “just an okay song.” I don’t agree, and I don’t think it deserves all the unwarranted hate it’s getting. It sounds like a classic house track, with its bouncy bass and plucky synth. Because Ms. Grande is marketing this song as a house song, she is staying true to the genre in its simplest form. Oftentimes, house music has been looked at by the mainstream as basic, formulaic, and overly manufactured. That’s because in history, the trajectory of house music has been paved by black, gay men who were constantly ostracized from the mainstream and whose artform was never seriously regarded or understood until much later. The genre was founded in Chicago’s nightclubs and basement venues in the late 1970s and early 80s. House music would spend some time as an underground artform, however once adolescents of the time began hearing house in clubs, they introduced and popularized it to peers at teenage functions. That was the beginning of the mainstream takeover of house, and since then, “it has gotten bigger, it has gotten whiter, it has made a lot of people a lot of money.” Like countless other artists, Ms. Grande is reaping the benefits of this culturally impactful music genre and paying homage to its beauty.
However, since the release of her new single, I have begun to ask myself what the sonic landscape of her seventh studio album, now revealed to be titled Eternal Sunshine, is going to be. Ms. Grande has floated from pop, R&B, dance, and ballad in search of new styles of music for her different albums. It does not shock me that “yes, and?” is an introduction into a completely new territory of Ms. Grande’s discography we have yet to hear. She is constantly evolving and changing, and with a change in personality comes a stylistic change in all of her other endeavors. I think that the general influence of Eternal Sunshine will be a mixture between R&B and disco-house, with a clear focus on the latter style. This is the case, since for almost all of her life, Ms. Grande has been influenced by queer people–––growing up with a gay brother, being in the arts from a young age, and venturing into music and Hollywood–––it would make sense that she wants to experiment with a sound crafted by queer minds. She is often jested about, being referred to as a gay man in a woman’s body, or only ever making music for the gays. Even in “yes, and?”, she slyly nods to (somewhat stereotypical) queer culture: “Boy, come on put your lipstick on…”
If the rest of her imminent album is anything like its lead single, it will be pop perfection. It will be both high-energy and dancey, with a cohesive, fresh, creative take. Ms. Grande has made it clear she is entering a new era of infinite love, light, and independence, and she’s not going to let haters tear her down like in the past. I think that this album comes at a pivotal time in Ms. Grande’s career; since her separation from Scooter Braun’s management, divorce from ex-husband Dalton Gomez, and ongoing work in the 2024 film Wicked, she has not only felt liberated but been a carefree hard worker. She is finally able to rule her own music and choose her destiny as the world’s pop superstar, and I couldn’t be more thrilled. All I can say is that I’m anxiously waiting for Ms. Grande’s Eternal Sunshine, as I know it is going to be one for both the books and the top of the charts.
