Ariana Grande’s “The Boy Is Mine” Is Her Bad Girl Anthem

When Ariana Grande first announced the track list of her seventh studio album, Eternal Sunshine, the internet instantly got riled up over track eight, “The Boy Is Mine.” Not only does it share a name with a classic ’90s duet, but fans thought it alluded to the brouhaha surrounding Grande’s relationship with Wicked co-star Ethan Slater.

Despite what some fans may assume, Grande’s song does not sample Brandy and Monica’s 1998 man-stealing anthem, “The Boy Is Mine.”

However, she does reimagine the lyrics to fit her experience. Grande indirectly responds to the public scrutiny of her romance with Slater, who had filed for divorce from his wife, Lilly Jay, when their relationship was first reported, and playing into the public persona that some gave her.

The R&B-pop-influenced track sees Grande open up about her undeniable attraction to a man that she shouldn’t be with. “Somethin’ about him is made for somebody like me,” she sings. “And God knows I’m tryin’, but there’s just no use in denying, the boy is mine.”

In her interview with Apple Music’s Zane Lowe, Grande called “The Boy Is Mine” her “bad girl anthem” and thought it initially wasn’t a good idea to release it. “But there is a large group of my fans that love a bad girl anthem, and this is, I think, an elevated version of that,” she said.

Grande also confirmed that the song’s ’90s girl group sound was an evolution of “Fantasize,” one of her unreleased tracks that leaked and went viral on TikTok. She criticized that in a separate interview on The Zach Sang Show. “I kind of gave them Ariana’s version of that on the album,” she said. “So although you’ve heard them — because you stole them — they’re very different now.”

“The Boy Is Mine” Full Lyrics

How can it be? You and me

Might be meant to be, can’t unsee it

But I don’t wanna cause no scene

I’m usually so unproblematic

So independent

Tell me why

’Cause the boy is mine, mine

Somethin’ about him is made for somebody like me

Baby, come over, come over (Oh my)

And God knows I’m tryin’, but there’s just no use in denying

The boy is mine

I can’t wait to try him

Le-let’s get intertwined

The stars, they aligned

The boy is minе

Watch me take my time

I can’t bеlieve my mind

The boy is divine

Boy is mine

Please know this ain’t what I planned for

Probably wouldn’t bet a dime or my life on

There’s gotta be a reason why

My girls, they always come through in a sticky situation

Say, “It’s fine” (It’s fine)

Happens all the ti-ime

Somethin’ about him is made for somebody like me

Baby, come over, come over (Oh my)

And God knows I’m tryin’, but there’s just no use in denying

The boy is mine

I can’t wait to try him

Le-let’s get intertwined

The stars, they aligned

The boy is mine

Watch me take my time

I can’t believe my mind

The boy is divine

Boy is—

And I know it’s simply meant to be

And I, I take full accountability for all these years

Promise you I’m not usually

Like this, shit, it’s like news to me, to me

But I can’t ignore my heart, boy

The boy is mine

I can’t wait to try him

Le-let’s get intertwined

The stars, they aligned

The boy is mine

Watch me take my time

I can’t believe my mind

The boy is divine

Boy is mine