When Ariana Grande’s Twitter feed first started bubbling up with cryptic phrases, fans wondered if she was subtweeting her ex Pete Davidson, or if a new single was on the way. Thanks to the singer herself, we now know it’s the latter.
According to Grande, “thank u, next” is all about cultivating “a new chapter.” Responding directly to an inquiring fan on Twitter, she shared that “thank u, next,” will be a song and an album, but that the song will be released first. “No drags. No shade. Jus love, gratitude, acceptance, honesty, forgiveness and growth,” the singer tweeted.
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Some fans weren't surprised, tweeting "I'm so clever I knew it was a song."
IM SO CLEVER I KNEW IT WAS A SONG
— char?☁️ (@heyitscharx) November 3, 2018
thank u, next I knew it
— valentina (@valentinaaaab) November 3, 2018
Others still aren't entirely convinced that "thank u, next" is just a song about good vibes. "But didn’t you just shade him a few tweets back?" one user wrote. Another called the whole debacle "shady af." Nonetheless, the single appears to be coming soon.
but didn’t you just shade him a few tweets back?
— ?????? (@elydoeswhatever) November 3, 2018
Shady af
— No one you follow (@Ricarlovesit) November 3, 2018
The drama started after the release of this week’s Saturday Night Live promo. In the clip, Davidson proposed to musical guest Maggie Rogers in an eerily familiar fashion. Rogers declined, and Davidson said “0 for 3,” poking fun at himself and his reported, but unconfirmed, other failed engagement to ex-girlfriend Cazzie David. Grande, his most recent ex-fiancée, didn’t find the joke funny at all, though, and immediately clapped back in a series of since-deleted tweets.
First came, “for somebody who claims to hate relevancy u sure love clinging to it huh.” Then came, “thank u, next.” Fun fact: not only did these tweets spark the shade rumors, but they also prompted an increase in dictionary searches for the word “relevancy,” according to Merriam Webster.
Grande and Davidson called off their engagement and romantic relationship in October. A source confirmed the split to People, calling the relationship "way too much too soon." The former couple, who originally met on the set of SNL in 2016, got engaged in early summer after only reportedly dating for a few months. Grande later dedicated a song to him on her latest album, Sweetener, appropriately titled "pete davidson."
Since Grande most likely won’t be singing a song about her ex during her upcoming world tour, it makes perfect sense that she would release a new single to address the latest...drama.