“Fantasize*” by Ariana Grande
The reason why there’s an asterisk next to the title of this song is because “Fantasize” has yet to be officially released as of the writing of this post. And for all we know it may never be. It has even been suggested that this song may be an AI-generated number, but Ariana Grande’s fandom wiki, as well as the songstress herself apparently, have verified that it is indeed real.
As reported, this song was recorded back in mid-2021. It was not intended to be featured on any of Ariana’s own projects but was rather, according to the wiki, being “made for a comedy sketch with a Girl Group”, with the goal being to “replicate a 90s song”. And in that latter regard, it has been suggested that “Fantasize” may have sampled the 1998 Britney Spears’ classic “Baby One More Time“.
The first snippet of the song made its way online on 21 June 2023, followed by another snippet on June 25th and then the song leaking in full that same day. As for the first snippet, it was reportedly posted online by someone who, according to an unreviewed Genius bio as of this writing, put the entire song on sale at a price of $3,000.
Grande, being the A-lister that she is, has to regularly deal with the threat of leaks. In fact she spoke directly to the issue earlier this year (before the leakage of “Fantasize”), suggesting that such intrusions consist of “every bad song and bullsh*t demo (she’s) ever made”.
A Viral Song
But with that being noted, Fantasize has gone viral on TikTok. And it appears, from these early readings, that listeners are genuinely feeling it.
And with that in mind, it should be noted that Ariana hasn’t been terribly active as a musician of late. Her most recent studio album, “Positions”, dates all the way back to 2020. And since the songs associated with that project she has not headlined any singles as a soloist.
That is to say that all of the singles Grande has participated on since have either been ones in which she was co-billed as the lead artist alongside another musician. These include:
- “Save Your Tears (Remix)” (2021) and “Die for You (Remix)” (2023) alongside The Weekend
- “Just Look Up” (2021) with Kid Cudi and Santa
- “Can’t You Hear Me” (2022) in conjunction with Kelly Clarkson
Also she has been the featured artist on a single, “Met Him Last Night” (2021) by Demi Lovato. So it can be said that fans are eager for new music from Ari-Chan. But instead she has been more invested in her acting career (co-starring in the upcoming movie Wicked) as well as being caught up in relationship drama, such as the recent announcement that she’ll be divorcing Dalton Gomez, whom the songstress married in 2021.
The Lyrics “Fantasize”
So if this song was recorded late in the summer of 2021, as reported, that means it would have been after Ariana and Dalton married in May of that year, having already been dating for about 18 months prior. But here we have Grande expressing her “fantasy” to be with a certain guy she’s smitten with.
And since he, the addressee, is depicted as someone who is already in a committed relationship, then he obviously wouldn’t be Dalton Gomez.
But of course, all because a musician drops a certain song doesn’t mean it is a reflection of their real life. And this song was never actually dropped anyway. Indeed, for all we know maybe Ariana decided to scrap it out of respect for her marriage.
But with that being postulated, what we are dealing with here is in fact a romantic fantasy. The vocalist is, most simply put, in love with the addressee. But to reiterate, the latter is already with someone else who, as implied in the lyrics, he’s quite content with.
“I fantasize about it all the time
If you were mine (If you were mine, baby)
I’d give this pu–y to you, nine-to-five, five-to-nine
Try to behave, but I’m feelin’ some type of way
That just ain’t me”
There’s a part of the second verse which does sorta imply that maybe he also decided to deal with Ariana on the side. But in any event, she ultimately decides to give up on the pursuit. And at the heart of the dilemma is the fact that, even though ‘boys are blowing up her phone’, i.e. the vocalist has a number of romantic interests, she only has feelings for this particular guy.
So as relayed, her fantasy concerning their relationship revolves around Grande hitting him off with “this p*-sy” all day long. Or put otherwise, she would make love to him constantly if he were actually hers.
And Ariana acknowledges that feening like this for a dude isn’t her normal modus operandi. So these strong feelings she has for the addressee actually serve as the thesis sentiment of this piece, thus making “Fantasize”, in sort of a roundabout way, a love song.
