Ariana Grande’s “thank u, next” video was hard to top, and her release of the “7 rings” video just two months later was clearly a poor strategic move. While “thank u, next” had an aspect of wittiness and comedy to it, “7 rings” seems to be pure nonsense—there’s absolutely no plot or interesting development at all.
The video focuses on Grande’s countless possessions—which are all pink—while she crawls around on a kitchen counter wearing a diamond leotard and matching cat ears (and we all thought we’d never see those again after her stint on Victorious).
The video is packed with flashes of diamonds (the choker Grande wears is so large it nearly covers her entire neck), pink cars, countless girls who are half-dressed, massive champagne towers, and one giant fluffy coat.
Toward the end of the video, Grande peers into a large dollhouse, which looks a lot like her own home. It quickly becomes evident that she and her friends (the “six bitches” frequently mentioned throughout the song) are just like dolls in a dollhouse.
In a sense, if given a close inspection, the song is kind of sweet—it emphasizes and celebrates bonds between friends—but it’s portrayed differently in the music video than expected. A little confidence goes a long way, and while this was never a question for Grande, “7 rings” is an example of someone being so overly confident it’s laughable. Instead of focusing on actual friendships, it focuses on material bonds that she has created because of her vast wealth.
Although the scenery is somewhat entertaining, the video and the song get repetitive within the first minute or so. There’s some coordinated dance, but it’s not at all impressive, and the pink-tinted camera makes everything look the same. Audiences felt bad for Grande after her extraordinarily rough year, but they already knew that she had an exponentially disposable income. Grande’s notorious “thank u, next” made her likable and funny, but “7 rings” just shed some light on her purely vain and conceited side.
Featured Image by Republic Records
You must be logged in to post a comment.