Ariana Grande Is “Reimagining” Brandy And Monica’s “The Boy Is Mine” On Upcoming Album
Ariana Grande‘s highly anticipated Eternal Sunshine album is making landfall tonight (March 8), and fans were able to enjoy one more tidbit of information before the full reveal. The Grammy-winning singer revealed a cut titled “The Boy Is Mine” on the official tracklist, which is reportedly a re-imagined version of Brandy and Monica‘s classic 1998 song of the same name.
The Sweetener creator first alluded to the record during her interview on the Zach Sang Show last month. While the two discussed her “Fantasize” single being leaked on the internet, Grande revealed that she put another “90s girl group vibe” song on Eternal Sunshine to make up for the leak.
“[‘Fantasize’] wasn’t my song and it wasn’t for me. It was like a parody of a 90s girl group vibe, but they loved it. They loved it so much,” she told Sang. “I took the note and I gave them Ariana’s version of that on the album. I would say that exists. Some of those seedlings from that time actually made their way onto the album.”
Then, she spoke with Zane Lowe and delved more into why she wanted to execute the idea. “I’ve always wanted to re-imagine [‘The Boy Is Mine’] in some kind of way… In a way, I was kind of like, ‘This is a very bad idea.’ But there is a large group of my fans that really do love a bad girl anthem, and this is an elevated version of that,” she said.
Inspired by Michael Jackson and Paul McCartney’s 1982 duet “The Girl Is Mine,” “The Boy Is Mine” by Brandy and Monica is largely regarded as one of their most popular hits. The Never Say Never track sold 2.6 million copies and spent 13 weeks at the top of the Billboard Hot 100.
However, Monica may not be too fond of the upcoming remake. On the 25th anniversary of her sophomore album, The Boy Is Mine, the Atlanta crooner expressed she would prefer if the classic duet with Brandy was left untouched by cover artists.
“I truthfully believe that it’s for Brandy and I,” the songstress detailed to The Hollywood Reporter when asked about the song potentially being remade. “I appreciate that she and Rodney [Jerkins] asked me to be a part of the song and be a part of the record, but for me, it’s a part of history that I would love to remain untouched.”
During the rollout for Eternal Sunshine, Grande treated fans with her “yes, and?” single. Shortly afterward, she upped the excitement by circling back with a remix featuring the legendary Mariah Carey.
The announcement was made with a photo of them posted on social media and a gratitude-filled caption: “I cannot believe the words i am typing …… ‘Yes, And?’ Remix feat the one and only, queen of my heart and lifelong inspiration @mariahcarey is out this friday !!!!!!!!!!!”
The Wicked star continued, “There truly are no words that suffice. thank you from the bottom of my heart for this dream come true and for sprinkling your brilliance and magic on my little song @mariahcarey. It means more to me than i could ever possibly articulate and i cannot wait for everyone to hear this ! i love you eternally !!!!!!!”
Carey responded, “Darling angel, I am so effing excited to be joining you on the yes, and? remix!! This is such a magical moment!! Love you – MC.”