Ariana Grande paid tribute to the original queens of “The Boy Is Mine” by having Brandy and Monica make a special cameo appearance in the music video for her reimagined version of their 1998 hit.
Grande’s latest single’s highly anticipated visuals dropped on Friday, and show the 30-year-old singer concocting a love potion to make a fictional mayor, played by Gossip Girl‘s Penn Badgley, fall for her.
But before the plot kicks into high gear, viewers are treated to a fleeting but memorable moment featuring Brandy and Monica. As Grande watches a news report about the city’s rat infestation on TV, the broadcast cuts to the R&B duo, who sang the original “The Boy Is Mine” song in 1998, as they introduce the mayor’s segment.
Their cameo serves as a touching full-circle moment, with Grande tipping her hat to the iconic artists whose chart-topping smash inspired her modern rendition and bold reinterpretation.
The music video shows Grande in her sultriest persona yet, depicting her as a feline femme fatale hellbent on seducing Badgley’s oblivious mayor.
“In a way, I was kind of like, ‘This is a very bad idea,'” the pop star admitted to Ape Music’s Zane Lowe about deciding to remake “The Boy Is Mine.” “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.”
Grande stoked anticipation for the music video all week long, at one point sharing a TikTok of Badgley dancing to “The Boy Is Mine” that fueled speculation that the You actor would be featured as her co-star. The night before the visual’s release, she performed the sultry track on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, and openly gushed over Badgley.
“I’ve been a fan of [him] my entire life,” she told Fallon. “It was just so amazing to work with him. I’m such a fan.”
“The Boy Is Mine” serves as the third single from Grande’s Billboard 200 number-one album, Eternal Sunshine, to receive a music video. This follows the choreography showcase for her lead single, “Yes, And?” — inspired by Paula Abdul — and an Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind homage for “We Can’t Be Friends (Wait for Your Love),” starring Evan Peters. Both of those previous singles topped the Hot 100 chart.
