Photo by Katia Temkin

#ApologizeToAriana? Maybe not just yet. In a world where the Internet narrative surrounding every corner of our lives corrodes the truth, who knows what’s up from down anymore. Ariana Grande has bared more than a brunt of it as of late in the fallout of her own divorce and subsequent public romance with her then-married Wicked co-star, but I suppose even the most well-liked celebs of her magnitude have some serious dirtbag tendencies playing out behind the scenes if we knew about them. Yes, and the average person also doesn’t have a press machine working overdrive to spin narratives and to pay disgruntled exes off hush money to paint the picture as something as something it actually was not in order to keep their images tidy. Yes, and the average person also probably wouldn’t hop on a freshly separated new dad’s dick either, because that’s just a messy look. Nevertheless, Grande’s return single, “yes, and?” puts it all out there at the forefront in an airtight production courtesy of Max Martin and ILYA that casually enters scene as a dance floor-sleek return in vogue with modern house architecture. It’s practically flawless in its listening execution (even if a bit lyrically cold-hearted given the discourse surrounding it,) which in turn deters from any imperfections that may be going on beyond the surface level. Yes, and while Grande’s abilities to be a “girl’s girl” still remain questionable, her ability to serve featherlight bangers is not.

Directed by: Christian Breslauer

Ariana Grande’s “yes, and?” single is available now on Republic Records.