Ariana Grande offers unique perspective on breakups

Since Ariana Grande’s “thank u, next” came out, I have not stopped listening to it. It is a song that looks at  a world where everything is publicized and privacy is a luxury and it is so easy for rumors to get around and for people to lash out online.

We’ve all heard celebrities bash their ex in songs and subtweets. But “thank u, next” offers us a different perspective.

Breakups are hard, we’ve all been there. My first heartbreak was during my junior year of high school. I’ll spare you all the details, but the important thing to know is that it shattered me.

I didn’t know who I was without my ex. It was a really bad position to be in. I couldn’t see it then though, but that breakup was a pivotal moment in my journey of self-discovery.

The truth of the matter is that it is so easy to lose sight of ourselves when we enter a new relationship. All of the passion and excitement can be extremely blinding.

When the relationship ends we can feel lost and lonely. Ariana Grande has been through a lot in the past few years, from the shooting in Manchester, to the death of her ex-boyfriend Mac Miller, to her most recently breaking off her engagement with Pete Davidson.

If she can get through it and still manage to release new music and tour countries worldwide, then you can get through all of the negative things and heartbreak that seem unending.

As a pop singer, Grande has a huge platform. She has the power to influence people with her art. “thank u, next” is different than other breakup songs in that there is no bitterness, pettiness, or bashing of her exes.

She names each one from Big Sean to Mac Miller, thanks them for the pivotal role they played in her life and all the things they taught her, and then she moves on. The message is in the title: thank you for the good and the bad, and now I’m going to move on.

This is crucial for many people, both young and old, to hear. You can be sad or angry or heartbroken, but each relationship serves a purpose. It is how you get back up and dust yourself off that forces you to grow and learn how to live with pain.

I got to a point later on in my life where I realized that getting over that pain and forcing myself to move forward was such a weight off my shoulders.

I thought I would never find anyone better for me, but I couldn’t be more wrong. My next relationship felt so different and more mature compared to the last one.

We have to learn to be confident in ourselves, especially when we are single. Learning to be independent and happy on your own is the most important thing you can do to get closer to finding the right person for you.

There are so many songs and movies out there that romanticize relationships, but, in reality, the best relationship you can have when you’re young is with yourself. Grande even says herself in the song when she mentions her newest relationship is with herself and she thinks it will go well.

I really could’ve used “thank u, next” back in high school and I hope that other women out there listen and realize that relationships do not define us.

We can take the pain handed to us from our exes and use it to build up confidence and move on.