Abdul, 61, excitedly praised the 30-year-old pop star for infusing the “Yes, And?” music video with references from her 1989 music video for “Cold Hearted,” which came out four years before Grande was born.

“WOW! Waking up to see Ariana Grande pay homage to ‘Cold Hearted’ in her new music video ‘yes, and?’ was EVERYTHING!!!” Abdul wrote on X (formerly Twitter) and Instagram. “What an honor! What was your favorite part of the video? I love you, Ari!!!”

“i love you too, sweetest queen! 🥺🥹,” Grande replied in an Instagram comment. “thank you for your brilliance and for inspiring me (and so many people) endlessly!”

Christian Breslauer, the “Yes, And?” director, also left a comment: “One of my favorite videos of all time. Hope we did it justice in your eyes ❤️”

As fans initially pointed out on the morning of Jan. 12, Grande’s video has a similar plot, setup and hat seen in Abdul’s “Cold Hearted.” Hours later, Abdul drove that point home with a side-by-side video comparison in her Instagram post.

Both pop stars wear a papillon hat and dance to Bob Fosse-inspired choreography in their respective videos.

In the “Yes, And?” video, Grande invites critics to watch her perform the song, which is the lead single from her upcoming seventh studio album.

In “Cold Hearted,” Abdul invites judgmental record label executives to her rehearsals. Both performances leave their guests flustered yet impressed.

PAULA ABDUL/YOUTUBE; ARIANA GRANDE/YOUTUBE

While Abdul primarily kept her distance from the execs, Grande weaves through her critics during the song’s bridge, unleashing lyrics that appear to address some recent life experiences.

“Don’t comment on my body, do not reply,” Grande sings. “Your business is yours and mine is mine. Why do you care so much whose [d—] I ride?”Grande, who began teasing her first new solo music in three years last month, is dating her Wicked costar Ethan Slater, sources confirmed to PEOPLE in July 2023. Grande split from her husband Dalton Gomez in January 2023.

Grande will star as Glinda the Good Witch in Wicked alongside Cynthia Erivo, who will portray Elphaba. Part one of their two-part film adaptation comes out Nov. 27, 2024.

Source: https://people.com