On Saturday night, Ariana Grande BLESSED us with a surprise release of her breakup song “thank u, next”. Unless you have been in a coma since May, you know all of the drama surrounding Ariana and Pete Davidson. After breaking off their engagement in the last couple weeks, Ariana released this song not only addressing her failed engagement, but all of her previous relationships, and let me tell you, this song is one of the best she’s ever put out. Not only is it a certified bop, but is one of the most openly truthful songs ever put out by this powerful of an artist.
She is directly calling out her past partners in this song, opening up with the verse, “Thought I’d end up with Sean But he wasn’t a match, Wrote some songs about Ricky, Now I listen and laugh, Even almost got married, And for Pete, I’m so thankful, Wish I could say, “Thank you” to Malcolm ‘Cause he was an angel”. Mentioning her former flames Big Sean, Ricky Alvarez, Pete Davidson, and the late Mac Miller, she goes deeper into what they taught her during each respective relationship. Ari then goes into how her newest relationship is with herself. This verse is so awesome for so many reasons. Not only is this such awesome girl power, but it shows how she doesn’t need a man to be complete, like go off sis.
This track topped the charts immediately, getting streamed more than 6 million times on Spotify in its first 24 hours. It also is the first pop song to top the iTunes charts in 2018, along with the record for biggest single day release for a female artist in Spotify history. These numbers prove how this song has just turned breakup songs on its head. Rather than throw shade and start drama, the new queen of pop has decided to take lessons away from her relationships. Grande has shown that all of the not so good things life has thrown at her in the past couple years cannot stop pure talent. She’s careful with the men’s feelings but also firm in how she is just fine without them. This song is so different than the normal breakup diss track the public usually receives from someone like Taylor Swift (no offense, love you, Tay). It shows the forgiveness and moving forward that comes with an end to a relationship rather than the anger and pain caused. Ariana Grande continues to prove to people why she deserves all the recognition she is getting recently, putting out song after song that is an absolute blessing to ears. We also can’t forget how open and honest she has been on her latest album “Sweetener” and her social media about mental health and the importance of getting help. She is what the entertainment industry craves in a time of corrupt executives and unequal power distribution, and she’s crushing it.