7 Rings + 20 Other Reasons Why 2019 Will Be The Year Of Ariana
"Breakfast at Tiffany's and bottles of bubbles. Girls with tattoos who like getting in trouble. Lashes and diamonds, ATM machines, buy myself all of my favorite things."
January isn't even over, but Ariana Grande has already reminded us that 2019 will be her best year yet. Pete Davidson? Pete who? Back in the day, celeb breakups would hit hard. The paparazzi would camp outside hoping to see a blotchy, pale woman. "Not her usual self" would be the headline.
"7 Rings" forms the second #NewDrop from Ari since the split. "Thank U, Next" flew the flag for every girl who's ever had her heart broken, but Ari made it way more.
The video got 1 million views within 35 minutes of being released and she "broke the Internet" because comments on her video were showing up on a delay, Business Insider reports.
That ponytail. That eyeliner. Those over-the-knee boots. With her sweetheart vibes, tear-jerking interviews, and beyond-cute dimples, Ariana was built for stardom.
We're only a month in 2019 and with "7 Rings" being the biggest music video debut on YouTube this year so far, according to MTV, Ari is set to be the most-followed person on Instagram. Whacking that song onto "Thank U, Next" (plus another 19 reasons), here's why 2019 will be the Ariana Grande year.
21 "Wearing A Ring, But Ain't Gon Be No Mrs"
"Thank U, Next" would never have happened without Pete Davidson. If that 24-day, whirlwind engagement feels like history, it's because it is. Pete and Ariana split in October 2018. Before we knew it, we had "Thank U, Next." Now we've got "7 Rings."
"Seven rings is just like a flex - a friendship anthem. How the homies want you to feel. What the 'Thank U Next' energy evolves into while embracing a new chapter,"
BBC reports Ari saying on Twitter. Ari didn't bounce back from her split. She leaped forward.
20 "I'd Rather Spoil All My Friends With My Riches"
The #OwningIt in "7 Rings" hits you from the start. "Breakfast at Tiffany's and bottles of bubbles. Girls with tattoos who like getting in trouble. Lashes and diamonds, ATM machines. Buy myself all of my favorite things." Which, technically, isn't accurate.
"Well, 'twas a pretty rough day in NYC. My friends took me to Tiffany's. We had too [many drinks]. I bought us all rings. It was very insane and funny," Ari tweeted, as Cosmopolitan reports.
Spend it she might, but this girl is splashing the cash on her besties.
Ariana didn't buy herself one ring. She bought seven. If anything it says girl power.
19 For Reference: Ari, Post-Split
You can wait weeks for some celebs to hit broad daylight following a split. When they do, they'll generally cover up their faces, dodge the cameras and work their hardest to keep a low profile. Welcome to breakups, Ari style.
"Ariana Grande went breakup shopping and basically bought out Chanel."
When Elle spotted Ari two weeks after her split, the magazine noticed the obvious. Ari did hit NYC and come out of Chanel with two giant bags, but let's look at the bigger picture. Ari was in the highest-profile city in the world. Those pearl earrings didn't say: "Moping." Then again, this girl doesn't mope.
18 Pete: "Anybody Looking For A Roommate?"
Nobody really knew how Pete Davidson would handle the split. With #SNLComedian as his job title, we expected a bit of humour (which we kinda got). Underneath though, we saw a guy who was really hurting.
"Does anybody have any open rooms?" Pete jokingly asked on SNL just after the split, as UPI reports. "Looking for a roommate." With those matching tattoos covered by Band-Aids, everything from Pete's body language to his worrying social media post in December 2018 caused concern.
Breakups aren't a race. Nobody wins on "looking the best." Still, we can't help but notice how Ariana really held out stronger than Pete.
17 "Music Just Happened, I Never Really Trained For Anything"
We still can't deal. That little hand wave Ari does when she reaches those high notes? Literally, the most amazing thing ever. “Music just kind of happened, I never really trained for anything,” Ari told Vogue.
"I play a little bit of piano by ear but it's mostly just singing, which I never was trained in."
Vogue probably fell off their chairs hearing this. FYI, that's a four-octave range, 3 AMAs, 3 MTV Europe Music Awards and 4 Grammy nominations.
16 Billboard's #WomanOfTheYear
Like there isn't enough competition as it is. 2018 was an #Explosion of Taylor Swift, Cardi B, Nicki Minaj, JLO- and the rest. Big surprise, that ponytail came out on top. Ariana was crowned Billboard's "Woman Of The Year" in 2018, although she wound up looking pretty humble. "I really have no idea [what I'm doing]," Ari said about her personal life, as The Straits Times reports, adding,
"I find it interesting that this has been one of the best years of my career and the worst of my life."
By 2018, media outlets were writing entire articles on Ari's ponytail. What Ari keeps quiet about? The way the UK honoured her with the offer of a Damehood (but Ariana declined), as RTE reports. This girl isn't in it for the #Status.
15 143 Million Followers, Not A #Diva In Sight
"7 Rings" dropped and Ariana Grande gained another million Instagram followers. Take it from someone who remembers checking Ari's feed, seeing 142 million, then: "Huh." The number jumped up another million the day after the song was released.
At the rate she's going, Ariana will likely become the most-followed person on Instagram. Selena Gomez (144 million) was recently dethroned by Christiano Ronaldo. Selena has taken time for herself. Ronaldo, well, he's still kicking balls around. #NothingNew
Social media isn't a race. A ton of pressure comes with it, but there's no denying the influence. The Kardashians have a long way to go next to Ari. Which kind of takes care of anything we had to say about divas.
14 "Nonna Got A Tattoo - 93:" More Ink For The Girl In Pink
Ariana is a pretty awesome person in general. Given how awesome her 93-year-old "nonna" is, we're beginning to see that this girl has inherited good traits. Ari's grandma is pretty prominent on that Instagram account, but nothing prepared us for this.
"Nonna got a tattoo 93 - that's sick," Ari said on Instagram. Nonna got her husband's name "Ciccio" inked on her finger,
as The Daily Mail reports. Ari got moons and stars. The "baddest granny on the block" was Cosmo's take. The new ink on Ari joins super-discreet tats that include a cloud on her finger and a brand-new Pokémon-inspired tat.
13 Kourtney Kardashian's Halloween Costume Was All Ari
It's when the Kardashians are turning to you for inspiration that you know you've made it.
Ariana Grande was the most popular Halloween costume of 2018,
Teen Vogue reports. Kourtney Kardashian's Instagram got a fresh injection of #ArianaGrande with this pic (which, we'll admit, is pretty spot-on). The high ponytail is there. The pink dress is virtually identical to the one Ari wore on her Tonight appearance.
While Kendall Jenner went for Austin Powers and Kylie Jenner threw us Stormi Weather, it's the #LeavingAnImpression that stands out, here. When Kim K's sister is turning into you, it's worth mentioning.
12 JLo Shows Her Love
Having friends in high places usually comes in one of two ways. #1 You're doing it for the exposure (and desperately making sure your followers see that selfie with Miley Cyrus); or #2 They're genuinely your friends. It isn't rocket science which category Ari falls into. When "Oh hello cutie, love this one @ArianaGrande" is the caption from the likes of JLo, you know it's #2.
Jennifer Lopez is way too powerful to post pics just to "gather followers." If Jen's posing with you, it's because you matter to her.
Ari seems to be getting hugs from everyone. Ellen loves her. So does Selena Gomez. The love is genuine, and we can kind of see why.
11 And Reebok Loves Her, Too
Endorsement power basically exploded in 2018. Fendi snapped up the Kardashians and Gigi Hadid. PUMA signed Selena Gomez the minute they dropped Kylie Jenner. Between Travis Scott fronting Saint Laurent, Nicki Minaj handling Mercedes-Benz and The Rock's Under Armour, it's like nothing we've seen.
"Confidence, self-belief, and self-expression. I am proud to partner with @Reebok who has the same ideals and beliefs as me and that I hope to instill in my babes #BeMoreHuman #ArianaxReebok," Ari posted to IG.
Remember that Reebok doesn't just pick anyone. Joining Ari to represent strength and feminine empowerment is Wonder Woman's Gal Gadot.
10 "My Anxiety Has Anxiety," Handling Life Like The Boss She Is
The world finally seems to be waking up to mental health. With millions of people across the globe with conditions like anxiety and depression, it's refreshing to see celebrities unafraid to join them and speak out about mental health conditions. Selena Gomez, Kendall Jenner and Lady Gaga have all bravely revealed their stories.
"My anxiety has anxiety. I've always had anxiety. I've never really spoken about it because I thought everyone had it, but when I got home from tour it was the most severe I think it's ever been."
Speaking to Vogue in 2018, Ari got real. "Breathin" on Sweetener is all about anxiety. For a girl who's been battling it, this girl is handling life like a boss.
9 She Makes Time For Her "Arianators"
Everybody wants to be popular. Something interesting can happen once you get popular on a celeb level, though. It's called alienating your fans. There are ways around it- writing big checks to charities gets you halfway there, but there's nothing quite like Real #FanLove.
"Talking to them every single day, say 'hi,' favorite their tweets. I always end up sharing too much." Ari actually broke down into tears when speaking to Vogue about her fans.
The magazine referred to "tens of millions of Arianators." If you're reading this, you're one of them. If you're waiting in the cold to see Ari, she'll get you hot chocolate and cookies, as J-14 reports.
8 Sweetener Tour Announced, Things Are Looking Up
With the tracklist for the album, Thank U, Next just released, we now also know the February 8th release date. Yes, it'll be here in time for Valentine's Day.
Ariana announced dates for a global Sweetener tour after her split with Pete. Bear in mind that touring for this girl comes with the biggest reality check ever. The Manchester concert attack that claimed 22 lives in 2017 is still on Ari's mind.
"broken. from the bottom of my heart, i am so so sorry. i don't have words," Ari tweeted after the incident. She then returned to Manchester for a tribute concert, donating all proceeds.
7 Doppelgängers Galore: The Ariana Look Is "It"
W Magazine recently posted a string of JLO pics with "Ariana Grande and Jennifer Lopez Have The Exact Same Style Now" as the headline. Kim Kardashian spent September 2018 walking around NYC with a high ponytail. Next to this girl, though? They're amateurs.
"Selfie session." No, it isn't Ariana Grande. (And it isn't Nicki Minaj, either)
Jacky Vasquez, the Ariana doppelgänger who's got everyone talking, gets all the attention. She's basically just famous for looking like Ariana!
6 "And For Pete I'm So Thankful," #NoBeef
Nicki Minaj took her exes and individually ate them alive on "Barbie Dreams." If we had a dollar for every singer who's dissed her ex on a record, we'd be rich enough to buy Kylie Jenner a new Lambo.
"Even almost got married, And for Pete, I'm so thankful." Acknowledging her ex - finally, a girl who's #MatureAboutIt.
With the fame and power she has, Ari could've single-handedly ruined Pete's career. Really. All it would take is going on Ellen and throwing a little shade. This girl has respected Pete in every way possible, including not airing any dirty laundry.
5 Starting Trends Without Even Realizing It
There's a girliness to Ariana Grande that's nothing short of infectious. Pastels, pinks, frills and heart emojis are 100% what this girl is about (and we wouldn't have it any other way). Speaking to Vogue in 2018, Ariana said:
"My fans are obsessed with knowing my favourite colour, so this is important: It was lavender, and then it was yellow, but now it's ice blue. Like, ice blue mixed with grey."
Wait a sec. Didn't a certain Kylie Jenner dye her hair icy-blue in 2019? Looks like someone got there first, Kylie. We needed a girl to take everything that represents #Cute and box it up in one selfie. Thanks, Ari.
4 "I've Loved And I've Lost, But That's Not What I See"
Loved, lost, but not forgotten. That seems to be the message Ari is sending out following the tragic loss of her ex-boyfriend Mac Miller. In January 2019, Ariana posted a short Tweet on what would have been Mac's 27th birthday. "Miss u" said it all.
"Thank U, Next" puts it into more words (and includes more exes). "One taught me love. One taught me patience. And one taught me pain. Now, I'm so amazing. I've loved and I've lost, but that's not what I see, So, look what I got. Look what you taught me."
Remembering the good and the bad, "Thank, U Next" put a new spin on relationships. Yes, they can end sadly. But you can learn to be "grateful" for your exes.
3 "I Love Clouds," #FragranceReleased
Celebrity fragrances are a dime a dozen. Some, like Paris Hilton and JLO's scents, have done amazingly well. The pharmacist struggling to shift Taylor Swift's "Wonderstruck" and Lady Gaga's "Fame" scents should probably have read The Sun's "Eight biggest celebrity perfume flops."
Ari's "Cloud" fragrance is now available to purchase (along with the rest of the merch we just can't stop wish-listing). "I love clouds," Ari told Vogue.
In fact, Ari then followed that with: "I'm actually sad you came on such a sunny day." With a cloud tattoo, you know this girl put her real self into her scent.
2 "Most Stable Part Of My 20s," Doesn't Need A Guy
Everyone's been wondering if and when Ariana will start dating again. "I know they say I move on too fast" was something Ari readily admitted in the lyrics of "Thank, U Next." Bustle reports what happened on twitter:
"Who is Ariana dating now?" a fan tweeted. Ari responded: "Spoiler: For the rest of this year/probably my life: It's no one."
This follows an Instagram post of Ari with her dog captioned: "Most stable part of my 20s." At 25, Ariana has the world ahead of her. Slowing down the #Whirlwinds seems to be Ari's plan, and this girl has had a lot to think about.
1 If There Is One, He Better Know What She's Worth
A tiny part of us is wondering if Pete Davidson didn't quite get the memo. "God Is A Woman" was a statement Ariana made loud and clear on Sweetener.
Ari is unlikely to stay single forever, despite her current "no men" protocol. Women eventually meet their guy, but it takes as long as it takes (that's if you want the right one).
Regardless of who he is and what he does, Ari's next guy better come prepped. If you're a guy reading this and Ariana is your kind of girl, you might want to remember this: "God is a woman."
References: Business Insider, MTV, BBC, Vogue, Elle, The Daily Mail, Bustle
