No, not even when she sang ‘God Is A Woman’.
It feels kind of weird, watching Ariana Grande go from putting her hearts up to proclaiming “God is a woman”. Sure, it’s human nature for someone to grow. Coming of age has long been overdue for the ex Nickelodeon-slash-Disney star. Soon after she released ‘The Way’ and ‘Right There’, Ari seemed to have jumped right into maturity. But even then, I couldn’t see her as a woman. Not a girl, sure, but not yet a woman.
Not Quite There Yet
The closest coming of age song we could get from her was probably ‘I Don’t Care’ from her album ‘Dangerous Woman’. But just because the titular single had the word “woman” on it doesn’t mean she actually meant she’s a full grown woman. We all know how the song goes and it doesn’t necessarily speak of becoming a woman. To me, that song was about her completely abandoning girlhood. But it’s just not there yet. Until we get to the 11th track in the album. The song was an expression of self-love as Ariana completely trashed everyone else’s opinions about her with just one line. “I don’t care about it anymore,” she sings. But, again, it was just not it.
I still couldn’t believe how we’ve all waited too long for her to release a new album and ‘sweetener’ didn’t disappoint. We just found the feminist anthem of 2018. From a fan’s perspective, ‘sweetener’ has got to be her most personal album yet. From a song for her then-fiance Pete Davidson to the emotional Manchester tribute, the album almost seemed like Ariana has yet again grown music-wise and woman-wise. She has completely embraced what she believed is the essence of being a woman in “God Is A Woman”—being the dominant one in the relationship and the blessing of bearing a child.
As she sang these songs, there was something missing and maybe something we didn’t even need. We didn’t need the self-love after blaming and pointing fingers. Becoming a woman comes with confronting yourself with the bad and acknowledging the good. This is why ‘Thank U, Next’ is the song that said, “Ariana Grande has become a woman.”
Thank U, Next
If you haven’t heard it yet, ‘Thank U, Next’ would instantly come off as another “song for the ex”. Taylor Swift is really good at this but the bitterness lingers like a really good cup of coffee. Ari’s new single, on the other hand, is just as sweet as the title of her recent album. It didn’t blame anyone for anything that has happened to her. She completely embraced the bad and turned it to something good. She starts the song off with a verse complete with the names of her exes. Just when we thought the blame falls on the boys, Ariana proved that the lessons, instead, beget from the relationships she’s had. “One taught me love / one taught me patience / and one taught me pain / now I’m so amazing.”
The second verse though, as it appears, is about her new lover. It’s not another guy. We’re not getting an overlapping rumor again as she drops the name of the person she’s recently been having “better discussions with” and her name is Ari.
As the song progresses, the more Ariana proves that she’s become mature enough to accept that not all marriages end in happy endings. Seeing her parents divorce at such a young age, she knew what she was getting into when she got engaged with Pete. But more than that, she declared she really only wanted to do it once and wished it would last. While not every woman dreams of becoming a wife or a mother, Ariana is different. She finds herself walking down the aisle one day and if something does happen, at least she has a really good song about it.
Ariana Grande Is A Woman
Loving yourself doesn’t always equate having to hate others. It’s not about ignoring what people say about you. Sure, you may have the same ‘I Don’t Care’ mindset as Ari but you should take some of these as considerations to improve yourself. Don’t call it “hate”, take it as “constructive criticisms”. Just as how Ariana has grown into what she is today. She reclaimed and conquered. Ariana proved that it’s always about giving yourself the peace of mind you very much deserve and owning up to the bad you’ve done. Now it’s our time to sit back and replay the memories with a different mindset. Thank you, next.
