Ariana Grande heard all the gays whining that Sweetener didn’t have enough bops, and she decided to shut us the hell up. The singer released a new breakup anthem, “thank u, next,” Saturday evening, and in clinical terms, it fucking slaps.
“I’m so fucking grateful for my ex,” Ariana sings on the song, referencing by name four ex-boyfriends in particular: Big Sean, Ricky Alvarez, the late Mac Miller, and her most recent, Pete Davidson. She presents this gratitude not spitefully or ironically, but in earnest. Her relationships with these men taught her things about herself and what she wants. She truly is “so fucking grateful.”
But, as she sings in the titular chorus, she’s also ready to move on. “Thank u” is immediately followed by “next.” Appreciating the past doesn’t mean harping on it. Instead, Ariana seems ready to focus on a new person entirely: herself.
“I know they say I move on too fast / But this one gonna last / ‘Cause her name is Ari / And I’m so good with that,” she sings.
Listen to the full song below.
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