by: Yobany Reyes
Singer Ariana Grande’s latest release, the song “God Is A Woman,” has caused quite the controversy among religious individuals who believe using God as a metaphor for sex and referring to God as a woman are blasphemous.
Grande makes various allusions to sex throughout the song, including, “And I, I feel it after midnight/A feeling that you can’t fight/My one, it lingers when we’re done/You’ll believe God is a woman.”
She describes sex as a spiritual experience, according to Genius, a digital media company which lists the verified lyrics and interpretations to them.
On the controversy, Grande replied to a fan via Twitter, stating, “I was expecting it and of course understand it… but it’s art. It’s okay if not everybody understands everything I do. I’m grateful for the opportunity to be myself and inspire others to do that as well. I would rather do that than play it safe.”
According to Genius, the music video for the song includes various biblical allusions, such as Michaelangelo’s Creation of Adam, references to art, such as Auguste Rodin’s The Thinker, and references to mythology, such as the three-headed dog Cerberus, the figures Romulus and Remus, and the Pantheon, which houses the gods of Roman mythology.
The song also makes a point of rejecting misogyny and negativity with the lyrics, “(Yeah) And I can be all the things you told me not to be/(Yeah) When you try to come for me, I keep on flourishing.”
The music video includes a scene of Grande deflecting misogynistic slurs being flung at her by angry men.
Despite Grande’s use of God in her song, the song itself is not about religion. Using God as a metaphor for greatness is not uncommon in art, and has been done by popular artists such as Kanye West (who named his sixth album Yeezus, which lists a song titled “I Am God”) and Drake (who recently released the song “God’s Plan” where he says, “Might go down a G.O.D.”).
Grande’s assertion that God is a woman received significant criticism, while such assertions made by male artists go uncriticized, highlighting the misogyny and double standards Grande speaks of in her music. The usage of God highlights female empowerment that Grande advocates for both inside and outside her music.
Religion itself is open to interpretation, and Grande’s use of God is one of those interpretations.