Ariana Grande Gets Lost in the Woods
EntertainmentOn Wednesday, Ariana Grande released the Dave Meyers-directed video for her new single “The Light Is Coming,” featuring Nicki Minaj. The song itself is a bite-sized burst of pop and a slight departure from what we’re used to from Grande. The video is a dark, strange trip through the woods.
Whereas most of her songs aim to show off her four-octave vocal range, “The Light Is Coming” has Grande doing a fragmented, half-rapped delivery over a trademark minimalist beat from Pharrell Williams (similar to “Lemon”). Interestingly enough, both “Lemon” and “The Light Is Coming” appear to use separate vocal samples from the same 2009 Pennsylvania town hall meeting about healthcare. “Lemon” samples the late Senator Arlen Specter saying “Wait a minute,” while “The Light Is Coming” features a rebuke from a member of the public—“You wouldn’t let anybody speak!”—played on loop in the background.
The visual tricks in the “Light” video feel a little gimmicky yet appropriate for the song’s mood, while still centering Minaj and, primarily, Grande. (The video is a collaboration with Reebok and premiered on their site. Watch it here.)