On the morning of Jan. 12, I was scrolling through Instagram and saw a Reel of a dancer performing to a song that sounded like an uptempo house remix. I was intrigued by the beat of the song and the choreography, and when I looked at the music credits, I saw Ariana Grande’s name. I went to Grande’s Instagram page and on her latest post was a clip of a music video with her singing her new single called “yes, and?”

After only a few listens to “yes, and?,” I knew the song was a hit. I was captivated by the evocative house-influenced elements of the song that made you want to dance and the empowering lyrics that inspired you to be yourself and to live your best life despite what the naysayers, haters, or a controlling ex-boyfriend may think.

yes, and? artwork cover

“yes, and?” released a vibe that was palpable across the social media landscape and beyond. The song exploded on Spotify on the day of its release and arrived at No. 1 on the platform’s Top Songs Global chart.

Last week, the song debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, giving Grande her sixth debut single at No. 1 and her eighth No. 1 on the chart.

The music video for the single is rumored to be inspired by Paula Abdul’s 1989 music video for her single “Cold Hearted.” You can see the slight references to Abdul with Grande and her dancers performing in front of what seems to be critics in a warehouse-style environment similar to Abdul’s original video concept.

But even with the Abdul references, Grande lets viewers know that this is her era and she owns it. The choreography gives a nod to ballroom culture with elements of vogue that are delivered by Grande and her diverse group of backup dancers. The moves are sharp and strong with some of her signature dance moves and poses being emulated by fans on social media.

“yes, and?” is the lead single for the Grammy winner’s new album, Eternal Sunshine, which will be released on March 8. If the rest of the album is like the pop-house sound of “yes, and?,” then Grande will be giving her fans something special in 2024.