By Danielle Bettendorf, Living & Arts Editor
Ever since Ariana Grande and Pete Davidson broke up and Grande dropped “thank u, next,” everyone has been obsessed with the lyrics, the music video and the album that was announced soon after she dropped her fourth album, “Sweetener.”
The song references multiple exes in the first verse, including Davidson, rapper Big Sean, backup dancer Ricky Alvarez and the late rapper Mac Miller. Between her controversial relationship with Davidson and renowned attacks after Miller’s death, Grande has long been the subject of who she gets involved with. In “thank u, next,” she celebrates herself.
Grande’s relationship history has defined her, according to the media – but here, she takes control of the narrative.
Much like Taylor Swift’s “Blank Space,” “thank u, next” is aware of the patriarchal double standards that are imposed on women and the haze that keeps celebrities from becoming their own people.
In addition to being a self-love anthem, the music video, which is set to come out on Nov. 30, has received a ton of well-deserved hype prior to being released. The video pays tribute to famous female-led 2000s movies: “Mean Girls,” “Legally Blonde,” “Bring It On” and “13 Going on 30.”
Teasers have featured previous collaborators, like Troye Sivan, actors from the original films, like Jennifer Coolidge and Jonathan Bennett and cast members from the show that made Grande famous: “Victorious.”
It’s odd to remember that before Grande was traveling internationally on tour and interacting with millions of fans on Twitter, she was playing a wacky sidekick on Nickelodeon.
Ever since the show ended, Grande has grown bigger than the rest of her co-stars, but it’s heartwarming to see them come back together for such a touching song.
Just like how “thank u, next” celebrates what made you and where you’re going next, the music video is set to be an iconic tribute to not only Grande’s career, but who she is as a person and where she’s headed. Though already an inspiration to multitudes of fans, Grande’s new age is set to make history.