Thank U, Next
By: Kerry Ingram, Arts & Life Editor
Featured image courtesy of Instagram
It’s the end of another semester y’all (I hope your edges have survived whatever fall festivities and stresses were thrown your way.) For my last Trendy Tiger piece of the semester, I wanted to take the time to tell you that one of the biggest internet trends of today is one that I think everyone should take part in, and one that I am most thankful for.
Ariana Grande released the track “thank u, next” in early November, sharing how she was determined to live her best life, grow as an individual and cherish herself despite the hardships she’s had to deal with over the past year. I have ALWAYS been a huge Grande fan – I still remember the first time “The Way” came on Pandora Radio during my sophomore year of high school, and how I immediately fell in love with the song – so although I automatically knew I would like the release, I wasn’t prepared for its greatness upon listening to it. She has been through a lot. From dealing with the terror attacks at her concert last year to the death of Mac Miller, to her broken engagement with Pete Davidson, Grande has more than enough reason to be negative, to be emotionally distraught and to be a complete mess. However, she hasn’t let any of her hardships defeat her, and it’s really empowering to witness such a brilliant human being live life the best way she can against all odds.
I know I’m not the only person to feel this way. After the single placed as number one on Billboard’s Hot 100 for over a week, the song became a trending hashtag across social media platforms and nearly broke the internet Friday, when the singer premiered the accompanying music video on YouTube and earned over 46 million views in under 22 hours.
Now I could go on and on about how bomb the song is or how much the video was well-worth watching, but my favorite part about the song is how much self-love it has spread in the month of its release. So many people posting the song as a hashtag are using it to express their joys being alone, their newfound confidence and love within themselves and their ability to move on from things and people lightheartedly. This song acknowledges that things happen, that lessons are taught from endings and that a person should celebrate themselves and their future, ALL WITHOUT bashing other people. I’m all for a you-lost-what-you-had banger, but sometimes it’s nice to feel good about yourself and not worry about anybody else.
This song couldn’t have come at a better time – the new year is practically tomorrow, so the trend of 2019 should be celebrating oneself. Let’s not dwell on the past. Let’s learn what we can, live our best lives and have some fun while doing so, shall we?
Thank u, Ari. I can’t wait to see what’s next.
