Unless you live under a rock, odds are you’ve heard Ariana Grande’s latest single, Thank U, Next. The song’s music video was released on Friday, November 30, and in it Grande recreated several iconic teen movie scenes. The video included scenes from Mean Girls, Legally Blonde, and Bring it On. With over 60 million views on Youtube, it’s clear her fans are loving it.
Thank U, Next was Ariana’s first single released after her break up with SNL star Pete Davidson. Although Grande’s split from Davidson was not her first celebrity break-up, it was the most discussed since the two got engaged only weeks after they first began dating.
Grande used the publicity surrounding her break up to her advantage, and released a song that not only acknowledged the end of her romantic relationship with Pete, but also mentioned her post-break-up feelings about recently deceased, ex-boyfriend, Mac Miller, and her other exes.
Thank U, Next, is not the break-up song music listeners are used to hearing on the radio. Unlike other hateful break-up songs, Grande quite literally thanks her past boyfriends for all the times they shared, and, for all that she has learned from them about relationships and about herself.
Break ups are always difficult, no matter how long or little you and your significant other dated for. No matter the relationships’ duration, you invested time in that partnership, and it’s hard to let go of someone who you most-likely saw as a long-term partner. And let’s be real, being the partner who got broken up with only adds to the break-up blues. After break-ups, one partner is often confused as to what he or she did wrong, and why his or her partner felt the need to end the relationship. Feelings of rejection, confusion, and sadness can quickly turn into anger, and as a result, exes tend not to have the best opinions of each other breakup.
Grande’s single, Thank U, Next, tosses the past belief that all break-ups end in anger out the window, and refreshes listeners with the concept of healthy break-up behavior. Just like any situation in life, relationships bring lessons. From dating, individuals are able to learn what they like and dislike in a partner, what they need in a relationship, and also what they themselves need to do to improve.
In her music video, Grande flips through the pages of her very own “Burn Book”, where viewers see notes of love, not hate, next to images of Ariana’s past boyfriends. Yet, with every flip of a page, Ariana moves from one relationship and on to the next. Grande’s single emphasizes the importance and maturity in healthy break-ups, and I believe Ariana herself does a good job of fostering respectful behavior between her and her exes, without allowing past relationships to interfere with her newest ones.
In her single, Grande teases fans with the mention of a new, developing relationship. With who you may ask? Herself. After her break up, Grande is taking time to reflect on her own wants, needs, and emotions. Too often, people who recently leave a relationship get consumed by a sense of embarrassment; as if these individual should feel ashamed of being alone. There is nothing wrong with being alone. The word itself sounds scary and a little sad due to the negative connotation society has placed on being single. Yet, when you are alone, that is the best time to figure out what you need.
You should never alter yourself just to please another person. When making self-adjustments to improve your current relationship or improve yourself for future relationships, you should ask yourself, “What can I do better?”, not, “What does he or she want me to be?” Being single allows individuals to rediscover who they are outside of a relationship. It allows people not only to figure out what they may want or need to work on while heading into a new relationship, but also, it allows people to find new passions or interest that they participate in purely for self-enjoyment.
Thank U, Next is encouraging girls to reflect on their past relationships with a sense of gratitude, instead of associating their exes with feelings of hate. Within her “Burn Book”, viewers see each page is dedicated to an ex of Ari’s, and as she flips through the book, she leaves that relationship behind her. By the looks of it, however, it seems like Ariana has plenty of pages left to fill. How she choose to fill them, with what or who, I guess we will come to find out.
All images were taken from Grande’s music video