Following a hiatus, Ariana Grande finally released a hit single after three years of silence amid a new era of her personal life. She released “Yes, And?” on January 12, 2024. However, the release has been counterproductive in earning the superstar more fans and followers. This recent era of her life wouldn’t be described as tranquil, according to news circulating on social media. In my opinion, the scandalous lyrics embedded in the song are definitely to blame for her losing so many followers on Instagram.

Grande garnered attention due to her addressing popular and problematic rumors in the lyrics, hence why I called the lyrics “scandalous.” Some may argue that the song “Yes, And?” hit number one on the Global Spotify Charts for all the wrong reasons. This is because Grande had a controversial past regarding being known as a “homewrecker” on social media. In her song, she brings up the relationship with Ethan Slater that many people don’t approve of. This is due to the fact that people suggest she became intimate with Slater while he was still in a relationship with another woman. According to TeenVogue, Grande and Slater officially started dating on July 27, 2023, and on July 26, 2023, he filed a divorce from his at-the-time wife. However, according to Buzzfeed, some sources claimed that they only started dating once they were both single. It’s safe to say that we will never know the official timeline of events, but I am still skeptical about their relationship since she never dealt with the rumors maturely. What makes this whole situation so unusual is that Grande was usually sincere with her fans even in the intervals during which she didn’t release music.

Now, let’s focus on her new single. For the most part, the song is a typical catchy Grande song, the lyrics consisting of her bragging about her love life. An example of this theme being prevalent is in the song “Break Up With Your Girlfriend, I’m Bored.” Even the song title is self-explanatory. However, in her new song, some of the lyrics blatantly correlate with the rumors about her “ruining” Slater’s marriage. The problem is the fact that some lines imply that she doesn’t “care” or that she refuses to take accountability for the rumors spreading. Even the song title indicates that she is disinterested in people’s opinions. This shows her immaturity. Some people may interpret the song lyrics as her provoking her haters. However,  I think the song alone also contributed to the number of followers she lost, not just to poke fun at her haters. Maybe some people just didn’t like the song beyond its lyrics. Overall, I don’t think it’s “iconic” to not take responsibility. This immaturity is the reason why some people unfollowed her and said goodbye to the era when they respected her. In the long run, her actions may even contribute to people idolizing her irresponsibility and following in her footsteps. This isn’t a good demonstration for her younger fans who look up to her as a role model.

Fans may think that Grande is facing a dilemma about whether to apologize or not, but we haven’t heard much from her since the release of “Yes, And?,” though she is releasing an additional album on March 8 titled Eternal Sunshine, according to WhatsTrending. It’s safe to say that Grande has lost a mass of avid fans (including me) since her peak around 2014. And there’s no denying that she will continue to lose more if she doesn’t take accountability soon.