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Ariana Grande: Yes, And? review – a defiant kiss-off to the haters

In her untouchable vocal register and over effervescent pop-house, the returning singer rebukes the prurient interest in her personal life

It’s the school Christmas talent show and lovable misfit Damian is singing a rendition of Christina Aguilera’s Beautiful, right down to including the first beat from the music video: “Don’t look at me!” he admonishes the crowd – then brings the house down. A month after its release, her beloved former boyfriend, the rapper Mac Miller, died of an overdose, and Grande soon broke off her engagement with the comedian Pete Davidson. But Grande – co-producing alongside the currently lesser-spotted Max Martin and his associate Ilya – makes it irresistibly effervescent and nimble, her knowing echo of Madonna’s Vogue as delicious as an illicit doughnut lick, as well as a sign, post- Renaissance, that mainstream pop is embracing house in its purest form.

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