Just after midnight EST and first reported in People, Ariana Grande released her highly anticipated newest single, "7 Rings," as well as the music video. After teasing the song for days, she finally gave a full look at the new female empowerment anthem that's both catchy and full of details about her life. Here's everything we know so far.
The song is about friendship.
Ariana's not shy about using her love life as inspiration for her music, and songs like "Thank U, Next" explicitly talk about exes like Mac Miller and Pete Davidson. But Ariana said that "7 Rings" is about the time after her breakup with Davidson when she was feeling miserable, and she bought seven engagements rings for her six best friends Victoria Monét, Tayla Parx, Courtney Chipolone, Njozma, Alexa Luria, and Kaydence after they went to Tiffany's and got tipsy on champagne. Really, she explained, it was nine rings including her mom and Nonnie Marjorie Grande, but they didn't get theirs until afterwards.
But she acknowledges she's been through some rough times.
Ariana sings about her resilience during a tough time; she's said in the past that 2018 was a really rough year for her, including her breakups. "Been through some bad shit, I should be a sad b*tch / Who woulda thought it'd turn me to a savage?" she sings. "Wearing a ring, but ain't gon' be no 'Mrs.,'" she adds.
The song samples The Sound of Music.
Some of Ariana's followers thought that she might sample Biggie Smalls, and the lyrics do in fact include the line "give me the loot." But the song is more clearly referencing the classic "My Favorite Things," as Ariana lists the things she loves to treat herself to. "I got my receipts, be lookin' like phone numbers," she sings.
There was a hint in "Thank U, Next."
According to E! News, the intro of "7 Rings" is very similar to the one in her immensely popular "Thank U, Next." So even when she's releasing new music, she's still giving Easter eggs about her new work—amazing.
She continues to show us her sense of humor.
Grande even poked fun at her iconic hair, acknowledging that her beautiful long ponytail (for which she is rightly famous) is really extensions. "You like my hair? Gee thanks, just bought it," she sings. In the video, she shows up with hair that's literally feet long, just like Rapunzel. She's shared in the past that, per E! News, "after dying her hair red for so long on Nickelodeon's Victorious, she was forced to use hair extensions to help cover up the damage."
She threw a party to celebrate.
On Ariana's Instagram Stories, she showed a few snippets of her guests dancing and even divulged that five out of the seven showed up to help her celebrate the release (including her, she said Chipolone, Kaydence, Monét, and Njozma were there and she told the other two she missed them). It looked like a low-key and blingy time, with the girls showing off their glitter.
Predictably, Twitter went wild for the new song.
Ariana's fans waited up for the exact moment of the song release and immediately professed their love.
2019: Still the year of Ariana.
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