Ariana Grande - Problem ft. Iggy Azalea (Music Video) [+ Review]

 Get ready for a trippy, 60's ride, filled with vintage-inspired clothing and funky colours in the recently released music video for Ariana Grande's track 'Problem', featuring Australian rapper Iggy Azalea. Also cropping up in the music video is Big Sean who softly whispers at various interludes in the song. The track by Grande and guest starring Azalea (and Big Sean) is a blend of 90's pop and jazz, featuring a fantastic saxophone sample and a catchy drum beat. Grande puts her spin on 'Problem' by delivering her usual belting vocals, adding a contemporary vibe to the catchy urban pop track. The theme of the track focuses around how much better off Grande would be without that particular person in their life, whilst also dealing with the problem of how to get over 'the crush' and the difficulties in her life caused by said 'crush'. Pretty much overall how things would be less hassle without them in her life. 

If that wasn't enough, the sass-meter is cranked up to an eleven with the appearance of guest vocalist Iggy Azalea, who spits out her raps in double quick time, offering an infectious interlude to Grande's powerful vocals 'Smart money bettin' I'll be better off without you/ In no time I'll be forgettin' all about you/ You sayin' that you know but I really, really doubt you/understand my life is easy when I ain't around you'. It's certainly and eclectic mix of styles, but they actually work quite well in the track as the soulful sax meets quirky rap meets power-pop. A mixture of the new and the retro, the track itself certainly makes it mark on the modern era, and Grande and Azalea are a delightfully sassy pair. In terms of the video, there are a few things we'd like to note (but first, watch below!): 

As you can see, the theme of the video has a very retro-inspired 60's theme, featuring pin-wheels with monochrome design and Grande sports a very 60's centred outfit, featuring black and white patchwork crop top and matching skirt (which switches between a black 60's dress and a white sweater with high socks) whilst Azalea sports what looks like a black jumpsuit and an incredible blonde wig. 

The theme of the overall video is very retro and very in-keeping with what Azalea has previously done for the music videos she stars in (see Clueless inspired 'Fancy' video) and Ariana looks as cute as a button perched on her spinning pin-wheel. A couple of annoying things about the video, which bring down its overall quality though is that Grande's lip-syncing isn't really all there, and she seems to struggle in sections, and the video itself is very similar to the lyric video, in the sense that Grande seems to perform similar sections with literal alteration from her previous performances. It would have been more exciting to see something a bit different in this regard, but nonetheless it is an appreciated effort. Azalea fairs far better in the lip-syncing front, and we get to see more of her in the actual video that we did in the lyric video. 

We certainly think you'll be seeing stars for weeks as the duo take you on a funky fresh journey with plenty of trippy movements and colours - not to mention the video features contortionist street dancers who bend and twist everywhere. With a get up and dance feel to it, 'Problem' is a significant success for both Azalea and Grande, with the track reaching the Billboard Hot 100's 2nd spot. Azalea has now claimed the first (with 'Fancy) and second spot ('Problem') on the list, marking her as the first artist since The Beatles to do so. So, what do you think of 'Problem' and its music video? Let us know in the comments!