Students weigh in on singer’s record breaking hits
Singer-Songwriter, 2019 women of the year award and an artist who peaked #1 seven weeks on Billboard 100 Ariana Grande has made the nation go wild for her. With her two trending songs “Thank U, next” that came out November 2018 and “7 Rings” just released Jan. 18, a poll was distributed on my Instgram asking which song NECC students would rather listen to. Several students favored “Thank U, next” although one student prefererd “7 Rings”
“Thank U, Next” addresses Grande’s ex-boyfriends and promoting self-love and her new relationship towards herself. “7 Rings” is about friendships but both songs give off the same energy and vibe from one another. Victoria Gladstone a criminal justice major who always keeps it 100% preferred Thank U, next.:
“This one makes me cry so it brings a lot of emotion out,” said Gladstone. Grande has grown significantly since her Victorious days as Cat Valentine on Nickelodeon, from starring in a musical to being the center of a tragedy, to performing for a student organization “March for Our Lives” in support of gun control to coming out of a social media hiatus through tweets for her single “No tears left to cry” in April of 2018. As Grande grew so did her fans from NECC. Dog mom Sophia Marcus has also preferred “Thank U, Next” Through her women empowerment Grande has made it known women can take control of their lives from gracing us with “God is a women” in her latest album “Sweetener.”
“I love how she stands up for women’s rights and is a good example for all women” saidMarcus. With all songs having a meaning behind them there’s no exception when it comes to Grande. While Grande has battled through anxiety and the suicide bombing after performing her 2017 Dangerous Woman tour in Manchester, UK, “Get Well Soon” is the last track on her Sweetener album. Its duration is 5 minutes and 22 seconds reframing it back to the date of the tragedy. Grande’s songs have been relatable to students lives, “Thank U, next is definitely relatable, I love the thought of acknowledging your past and appreciating how it affected you” said Marcus.
Sallay Thulla preferred “7 Rings.” She loved the idea of friendship and the story behind how Grande bought her and her six friends matching Tiffany’s rings. “7 Rings is a spin-off of “The Sound of Music” which makes the song so catchy and I hope my friend can buy me a Tiffany ring for our friendship,” laughed Thulla.
With “7 Rings “ just launching the singer recently came under fire with associations for cultural appropriation. The lyrics “ You like my hair? Gee, thanks, just bought it’ sparked some controversy through misunderstanding “weaves.”
Thulla saw both perspectives, “Because I am African American, women used to be made fun of wearing weaves but now different races are starting to wear them and not be judged.” said Thulla. Through Ariana’s awareness of her comment in the “Shade room,” she came to apologize and mentioned she had no intention of hurting anyone.
After conducting a survey it would seem that Grande’s music resonates with many students of NECC, Marcus suggested putting on videos to let her fans from NECC know how much she means to her. Gladstone suggested lip-synch battles and possibly inviting her to the college, while Thulla mentioned hosting events featuring Ariana Grande music to bring the community together. “We can have a karaoke night with her music and prizes that feature her merchandise or even concert tickets” explained Thulla.
