Grande’s hit single ‘Thank U Next’ entertaining and meaningful

Ariana Grande’s single “Thank U, Next” was released on Nov. 3 without any prior notice. While the song is catchy, its lyrics have a deeper meaning.

Grande, who is 25, has endured a lot in the past two years. In 2017, a concert she was giving in Manchester, England, was attacked by terrorists, resulting in 22 deaths. In September Grande’s most recent ex-boyfriend, Mac Miller, passed away suddenly from drug overdose. To make matters worse, many people accused Grande of being responsible for his death, especially because Grande had started dating her then-fiance Pete Davidson soon after her breakup with Miller. In October, Grande broke up with Davidson.

Because Grande was accused of contributing to the death of Miller on top of coping with his death, she decided to take a break from the spotlight for a few weeks and prioritize her own well-being. She responded to these gross accusations by tweeting, “some of the [things] i read on here makes me sick to my stomach. it scares me the way some people think and i don’t like this world a lot of the time. if only we could be more compassionate and gentle with one another. that’d be sick.”

Grande chose to encapsulate her emotions over these events in her song “Thank U, Next.” She begins her song by talking about how her relationships with her most recent boyfriends didn’t work out.  

After Grande sings about meeting someone new, whose “name is Ari,” it becomes apparent that the song is not about her relationships, but about herself. From her own life, Grande has learned “patience” and grown from her experiences of “love and pain.”

The music video for “Thank U, Next,” released on Nov. 30, was just as sensational as the song. The video broke the record for most views in the first 24 hours of release, with 55.4 million views in that first day.

Grande chose many of her friends to play parts in the video, including YouTuber Colleen Ballinger and two of her “Victorious” co-stars: Elizabeth Gillies and Daniella Monet. Grande met Ballinger while shooting “Victorious” because Ballinger guest starred as her YouTuber persona “Miranda Sings” for five episodes in 2012.

Grande begins her video with an introduction in which different people tell rumors about Grande, giving viewers an idea of what Grande has to hear about herself on a daily basis. This opening directly imitates the  introduction of antagonist Regina George in the film “Mean Girls,” in which people tell rumors about George to the camera.

The video consists of re-creations from different young adult movies with female protagonists. In addition to “Mean Girls,” the video included references to “Bring it On,” “13 Going on 30” and “Legally Blonde.”

Most of these movies were released in the 2000s and thus were parts of many fans’ childhoods, allowing viewers to relate more to the video.

Grande has clearly been through a lot over the last few years but she has come out stronger than ever. She realized that no matter what happens with her relationships she will always have herself to count on.

Grande should keep writing songs as a way to channel and let out her troubles because it seems to help her break free of them. Additionally, she should take more time away from the spotlight because after all she’s been through and all the work she has put into her songs these past few months she deserves a break.