Ariana Grande Channels Madonna, Smacks Haters on Deceptively Cheerful New Single, ‘Yes, And?’

variety.com:

Jem Aswad Executive Editor, Music Ariana Grande’s first single under her own name in more than three years arrives with a feel-good, bouncy lilt in the melody and rhythm, and a clear inspiration from Madonna’s “Vogue” (along with a splash of mid-‘90s Janet Jackson).

But first impressions can be deceiving, because the lyrics bear a refreshingly positive I-am-who-I-am, be-yourself-and-keep-it-moving message — but with teeth, as well as some well-placed expletives.

The upshot is in the lead-in and chorus: “If you find yourself in a dark situation, just turn on your light and be like, ‘Yes, and?’,” which continues with “Say that shit with your chest, and/ Be your own fuckin best friend… Keep moving like, ‘What’s next?’” But the inspiration for those lyrics lies other places in the song: “Boy, put your lipstick on,” followed by “I’m so done with caring what you think” and “Don’t comment on my body, do not reply/ Your business is yours and mine is mine.” The video for the song is slated to drop later on Friday.

As for other inspirations, the Madonna element is clear — there’s even a slightly robotic spoken middle section — although it does not use a “Vogue” sample: the song was written and produced by Grande with longtime collaborators Max Martin (the most successful songwriter-producer of the last 25 years, from Britney Spears to the Weeknd) and Ilya Salmanzadeh.