Communion Posted January 14 Posted January 14 (edited) 40 minutes ago, Tm4074 said: This is her ME! moment, #2 peak on the Hot 100 with her comeback 7th album lol. If the album doesn't smash to their expectations I see her releasing another album real soon after parallel to Sweetener/TUN. As we know in the streaming era it's all about building positive momentum which she needs to build again after her hiatus from music. She has the initial demand but the music needs to resonate as well. yes, and? kinda misses the mark because like I said besides the gays on the internet nobody really wants this sound from her especially since she's late to the game after Beyoncé's Renaissance and Dua scoring massive hits with disco influenced dance-pop . I don't think a #2 peak is flopping but it's a disappointment considering she should have no problem debuting #1 under the circumstances. Like I said this is giving parallels to Taylor's ME! which means she needs to reevaluate moving forward. Or Ariana is simply not the type of artist motivated by the same metrics of success and influences as Taylor is (neither being good or bad). Lover from top to bottom was essentially a pivot away from what was seen as the most disliked elements of reputation in a bid to navigate poor PR and going back to what Taylor felt was why she was liked (Me! chasing the kind of hype of Shake It Off). Ariana 1) largely hasn't had the kind of negative PR that Taylor did even if simply by having a smaller celebrity and not engaging with the public in the way Taylor does and 2) Eternal Sunshine isn't expected to be a kind of "return to form" album in the way Lover was meant to be. Yes, "yes, and?" is not r&b, but it's house music in a way Ariana has never done to the point that people are claiming the single is divisive, and the album itself is expected to be heavily r&b and not 2016-style pop. Every label wants their artists to have commercial success, but Ariana Grande preparing a 20+ track self-written, co-produced album with the initials of her current controversial boyfriend doesn't exactly scream to me someone actively seeking and mapping out their comeback to be as commercially successful as possible. Honestly, Taylor becoming even huger during Ariana's time away was the best thing to happen imo. She was largely Ariana's only competition and there's a sense of peace knowing Taylor - good for her - is the most successful woman now in music history in a way Ariana probably couldn't (and wouldn't want to) navigate to get to. Add in that that Ariana's given Scooter the boot and there's no reason to compare the two. Anys says it as a joke in the video, but I do want art this time. I'm ready for Ariana to deliver us her most interesting, left-of-center project yet. Give us Ray of Light. Give us Impossible Princess . Edited January 14 by Communion 7
liquiddiamonds Posted January 14 Posted January 14 (edited) The meltdowns over a worst scenario #2 peak…. It’s still a great peak. Two albums ago Ariana was debuting at 3, 10, 8, etc Thank U Next and Positions truly spoiled people lol As long as she has other songs for the US market once the album drops she will be fine. Keep it in mind that none of Ariana’s more dance-pop leaning songs have ever gone to #1. Edited January 14 by liquiddiamonds 6
Blue. Posted January 14 Posted January 14 Not like the comparison is needed but this is not the same situation as ME! ME! (And YNTCD) debuted at #2 but they were blocked by a MASSIVE hit that went on to break the record for most weeks at #1. If this doesn’t debut at #1, LOM is nowhere near that level of success. Also ME! and Lover where a palate cleansing single and album which helped her tomdistanciate from the polarizing image she had in the post 1989/Rep. Ariana in the other hand is doubling down on the controversy, but whereas Taylor did so owning it and creating the persona that embraced the “villain” characterization Ariana is deflecting blame and saying why you hate on me for ******* a married father lol u so mean which doesn’t seem to work as well. 5
Communion Posted January 14 Posted January 14 2 minutes ago, Blue. said: Not like the comparison is needed but-- "This comparison is NOT needed but let me make it solely to disparage Ariana". In 3 days you'll begin to develop a cough. 1
Tm4074 Posted January 14 Posted January 14 (edited) 36 minutes ago, Communion said: Or Ariana is simply not the type of artist motivated by the same metrics of success and influences as Taylor is (neither being good or bad). Lover from top to bottom was essentially a pivot away from what was seen as the most disliked elements of reputation in a bid to navigate poor PR and going back to what Taylor felt was why she was liked (Me! chasing the kind of hype of Shake It Off). Ariana 1) largely hasn't had the kind of negative PR that Taylor did even if simply by having a smaller celebrity and not engaging with the public in the way Taylor does and 2) Eternal Sunshine isn't expected to be a kind of "return to form" album in the way Lover was meant to be. Yes, "yes, and?" is not r&b, but it's house music in a way Ariana has never done to the point that people are claiming the single is divisive, and the album itself is expected to be heavily r&b and not 2016-style pop. Every label wants their artists to have commercial success, but Ariana Grande preparing a 20+ track self-written, co-produced album with the initials of her current controversial boyfriend doesn't exactly scream to me someone actively seeking and mapping out their comeback to be as commercially successful as possible. Ariana wants commercial success lets be honest and that's not a bad thing. Most of these chart-topping artists do to some degree even if they claim otherwise. I would argue Ariana leaning more into pop for the lead means she was taking the negative response from her pop fans about Positions to heart so I disagree this isn't a "return to form" to some degree as she is catering to that audience. Ariana's fans have always been divided between pop and r&b with both sides expressing disappointment if the music isn't what they were expecting (ex: pop fans disliking positions, r&b fans disliking yes, and?). yes, and? is a callback to thank u, next. Maybe not with the sound but the lyrics and intent of the song. Both ME! and yes, and? are using recycled elements from their past work to re-create the same effect for the lead single for their 7th album after a music hiatus following polarizing reception of their 6th album within their base (Reputation and Positions). The surface level parallels are there. Taylor's celebrity reached new heights post folklore. Taylor during the Lover era in 2019 is similar to Ariana's celebrity status now. I would also argue snake-gate is a good comparison to Ariana's current PR situation. Both "scandals" obviously weren't going to do any damage to their career longterm but it took over their media narrative at the time. Edited January 14 by Tm4074 1
Communion Posted January 14 Posted January 14 (edited) 12 minutes ago, Tm4074 said: so I disagree this isn't a "return to form" to some degree TU,N and Positions are her biggest hit eras. The radio programmers who heard the song literally reacted with "she's never done anything like this before!" Again, you're trying to fit a square peg into a circle hole to make a comparison work. There's decades of musical history to reference. If you can only conjure up Taylor Swift in trying to map out whose career Ariana's progression is mirroring or should be compared to, you must not be well-read. It's just reductive. By all means compare Ariana and Taylor if you're interested in stats (I don't think that's an interesting comparison either), but there's really nothing interesting or meaningfully accurate in suggesting these careers are mirroring one another. Edited January 14 by Communion 2
sweetkiss Posted January 14 Posted January 14 41 minutes ago, Communion said: Or Ariana is simply not the type of artist motivated by the same metrics of success and influences as Taylor is (neither being good or bad). Lover from top to bottom was essentially a pivot away from what was seen as the most disliked elements of reputation in a bid to navigate poor PR and going back to what Taylor felt was why she was liked (Me! chasing the kind of hype of Shake It Off). Ariana 1) largely hasn't had the kind of negative PR that Taylor did even if simply by having a smaller celebrity and not engaging with the public in the way Taylor does and 2) Eternal Sunshine isn't expected to be a kind of "return to form" album in the way Lover was meant to be. Yes, "yes, and?" is not r&b, but it's house music in a way Ariana has never done to the point that people are claiming the single is divisive, and the album itself is expected to be heavily r&b and not 2016-style pop. Every label wants their artists to have commercial success, but Ariana Grande preparing a 20+ track self-written, co-produced album with the initials of her current controversial boyfriend doesn't exactly scream to me someone actively seeking and mapping out their comeback to be as commercially successful as possible. Honestly, Taylor becoming even huger during Ariana's time away was the best thing to happen imo. She was largely Ariana's only competition and there's a sense of peace knowing Taylor - good for her - is the most successful woman now in music history in a way Ariana probably couldn't (and wouldn't want to) navigate to get to. Add in that that Ariana's given Scooter the boot and there's no reason to compare the two. Anys says it as a joke in the video, but I do want art this time. I'm ready for Ariana to deliver us her most interesting, left-of-center project yet. Give us Ray of Light. Give us Impossible Princess . if you heard the track, yes, and you would know she rushed it specifically for that 'comeback' and 'clearing up my name' reasons, not because she wanted to make music right now. all arianators expected ag7 much later. there's a reason for this 'early' release. to others that said her team isnt doing much, they are literally paying ethan wife to say 'this is not what i meant' and colleagues to 'dance' to track. it is definitely weird without scooter. things are not going as smooth as before. but hes manager of lizzo after all. takes him too long to clear up anybody's names.
liquiddiamonds Posted January 14 Posted January 14 (edited) Some of you must be very young gen z people. A few albums back everyone thought Into You and Breathin were surefire smash hits, because of the quality, the max martin production and Ariana goin in on dance-pop production, which is all the gays want from her. but a good chunk of her american audience simply enjoy her R&B-leaning songs more. She smashes harder with them there. It is what it is. I think she’s aware of that, so it’s “yes, and?” for this too for Ariana’s more pop-leaning songs this is doing just fine. Above Break Free and No Tears for a debut week Edited January 14 by liquiddiamonds
Sweetenertea Posted January 14 Posted January 14 2 minutes ago, sweetkiss said: if you heard the track, yes, and you would know she rushed it specifically for that 'comeback' and 'clearing up my name' reasons, not because she wanted to make music right now. all arianators expected ag7 much later. there's a reason for this 'early' release. to others that said her team isnt doing much, they are literally paying ethan wife to say 'this is not what i meant' and colleagues to 'dance' to track. it is definitely weird without scooter. things are not going as smooth as before. but hes manager of lizzo after all. takes him too long to clear up anybody's names. Just curious, where did you hear that they are paying his wife not to say anything or colleagues dance to track? Not doubting you, just curious 2
Communion Posted January 14 Posted January 14 Just now, sweetkiss said: if you heard the track, yes, and you would know she rushed it It actually sounds well in the wheelhouse of the music she was recording in early 2022 with Max Martin: Those glittery piano melodies sit perfectly alongside "yes, and?" while still fitting the more rhythmic descriptions for the rest of the album. She's been recording for this album for over a year! I wish some of you didn't seemingly hate her! 4
Blue. Posted January 14 Posted January 14 15 minutes ago, Communion said: "This comparison is NOT needed but let me make it solely to disparage Ariana". In 3 days you'll begin to develop a cough. That’s what and objective analysis look like, I am sorry your stan obsessed ass cannot handle it. All I did was present and analyze facts, there is no opinion in the piece but if you are interested: I think both Me! and Yes, And? Are terrible, but I’ll probably play YA more than Me!.
unclefloprry Posted January 14 Posted January 14 A #2 is not bad for any artist, the worst scenario comes later when the song has zero longevity (like ME!, YNTCD, Cardigan or Willow) if the girl doesn’t promote it. 1 1
Communion Posted January 14 Posted January 14 4 minutes ago, Communion said: It actually sounds well in the wheelhouse of the music she was recording in early 2022 with Max Martin: Those glittery piano melodies sit perfectly alongside "yes, and?" while still fitting the more rhythmic descriptions for the rest of the album. She's been recording for this album for over a year! I wish some of you didn't seemingly hate her! Like imagine an album with this sonic palette: A treat to the ears. 2
Aristocrat Posted January 14 Posted January 14 2 minutes ago, Communion said: Like imagine an album with this sonic palette: A treat to the ears. I really hope these two make the album. I’m hopeful maybe we will get Eternally after all since it goes with the album title. 1
State of Grace. Posted January 14 Posted January 14 Yall are breaking your necks trying to paint this as a flop or a ME! situation when the only thing they have in common is that both are lead singles from their 7th studio albums. Taylor and Ariana's careers couldn't be more different. 5
shark_heather Posted January 14 Posted January 14 I couldn't care less if it goes #1 or #2 The song is a BOP and im so thankful Ari , Dua and Bey are giving us bangers 7 3
OBEY Posted January 14 Posted January 14 (edited) Wait this might debut at #1 in Canada Apple Music Friday #3 yes and? (I think Lovin on Me was #4) Apple Music Saturday #2 yes and? #4 Lovin on Me Spotify Friday #1 yes and? #2 Lovin on Me Spotify Satuday #1 yes and? #2 Lovin on Me Edited January 14 by OBEY
State of Grace. Posted January 14 Posted January 14 Boy, come on, put your lipstick ONNNN (No one can tell you nothin') Come on and walk this way through the FIIIIIRE (Don't care what's on their mind) And if you find yourself in a dark SITUAAATION Just turn on your light and be LIIIIIIIIIIIIIIKE The melody of the pre-chorus has to be one of her best. Its not leaving my brain. It's pre > bridge > verses > last chorus > chorus for me atm. I still find the chorus extremely catchy though. 8
Recommended Posts