Ariana Grande‘s video for “yes, and?” isn’t just a clever way for Ari to hit back against her critics: It’s an all-out homage to a 1989 video from a different artist, who wholeheartedly approves of the tribute.
The “yes, and?” video takes its inspiration from Paula Abdul‘s video for her song “Cold Hearted,” her third #1 hit. Paula has posted both videos next to each other on Instagram so you can see all the similarities: the set, the dance moves, the critics watching the performance, the shades that come down and darken the room and more. Ari even wears a hat just like Paula’s.
“WOW! Waking up to see @arianagrande pay homage to ‘Cold Hearted’ in her new music video ‘yes, and? was EVERYTHING!!!” Paula wrote. “What an honor! What was your favorite part of the video? I love you, Ari!!!”
“love you too, sweetest queen !” Ari responded in the comments. “thank you for your brilliance and for inspiring me (and so many people) endlessly !” Ari’s brother, Frankie Grande, added, “Mamma G raised us correctly. Love you legend. I was so excited for you to see this!”
“Cold Hearted” is from Paula’s debut album, Forever Your Girl, which spun off four #1 hits and at the time was the most successful first album in history. It went on to sell 7 million copies in the U.S. alone.
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