7 Rings

2019Viral song / catchphrase / hashtagclassic
7 Rings is a 2019 pop-trap single by Ariana Grande whose viral chorus—"I see it, I like it, I want it, I got it"—became a meme for ironically flexing fake wealth on Twitter.

"7 Rings" is a 2019 pop-trap song by Ariana Grande that became an instant meme when Twitter users turned its lavish shopping-spree lyrics into jokes about being broke. Released on January 18, 2019, the track interpolates "My Favorite Things" from *The Sound of Music* and debuted at number one on the Billboard Hot 1002. The song's chorus ("I see it, I like it, I want it, I got it") became a catchphrase for ironic spending flexes, with the hashtag #7rings flooding social media as users contrasted Grande's wealth with their own empty bank accounts1.

ariana grande memesmusic memescatchphrase memesself deprecating memesviral song memes

Overview

"7 Rings" is built on a trap-pop rework of Rodgers and Hammerstein's "My Favorite Things," with Grande rapping about Tiffany diamonds, Louboutin shoes, and buying whatever she wants2. The song's title comes from a real-life shopping trip where Grande bought matching Tiffany diamond rings for six of her closest friends1. On release day, the track and its music video triggered a wave of Twitter reactions that all followed the same pattern: users acknowledged they were broke, then declared they felt rich anyway because of the song1.

"7 Rings" was released on January 18, 2019, by Republic Records as the second single from Grande's fifth studio album *Thank U, Next*2. The song was written by Grande alongside Victoria Monét, Tayla Parx, Njomza Vitia, and Kaydence, with production from Tommy Brown, Charles Anderson, and Michael Foster3. Republic Records negotiated with Concord Music (owners of the Rodgers & Hammerstein catalog) and agreed to hand over 90 percent of the songwriting royalties to secure rights to the "My Favorite Things" interpolation2.

Grande first teased the track in the music video for "Thank U, Next," where the opening instrumental plays during the intro sequence and a license plate reads "7 RINGS"2. She described the song as a "friendship anthem" about treating her friends after her breakup with Pete Davidson2. The music video, directed by Hannah Lux Davis, features a pink-hued Barbie palace aesthetic alongside a nod to 2 Chainz's pink trap house1.

Origin & Background

Platform
Republic Records (song release), Twitter (meme spread)
Key People
Ariana Grande, Victoria Monét, Tayla Parx, Njomza Vitia, Kim "Kaydence" Krysiuk, Tommy Brown, Hannah Lux Davis
Date
2019

"7 Rings" was released on January 18, 2019, by Republic Records as the second single from Grande's fifth studio album *Thank U, Next*. The song was written by Grande alongside Victoria Monét, Tayla Parx, Njomza Vitia, and Kaydence, with production from Tommy Brown, Charles Anderson, and Michael Foster. Republic Records negotiated with Concord Music (owners of the Rodgers & Hammerstein catalog) and agreed to hand over 90 percent of the songwriting royalties to secure rights to the "My Favorite Things" interpolation.

Grande first teased the track in the music video for "Thank U, Next," where the opening instrumental plays during the intro sequence and a license plate reads "7 RINGS". She described the song as a "friendship anthem" about treating her friends after her breakup with Pete Davidson. The music video, directed by Hannah Lux Davis, features a pink-hued Barbie palace aesthetic alongside a nod to 2 Chainz's pink trap house.

How It Spread

Within hours of the January 18 release, Twitter erupted with a near-uniform response. Users posted variations of the same joke: they were broke, but the song made them feel rich. The Vox piece captured the mood perfectly, noting "droves of people expressing that they are broke, but they are happy that Grande is rich. Or they are broke, but they are going to pretend to be rich". One viral tweet declared that "7 Rings will fix the economy".

On the same day, YouTuber Dante D'Angelo uploaded a reaction video that pulled over 100,000 views within hours. Rapper Princess Nokia publicly noted similarities between Grande's song and her own work. Twitter user Jules Lefevre's praise tweet picked up over 1,400 likes on day one, while Nicholas Liddle's tweet claiming "7 Rings" had "dethroned" Grande's previous hit "Thank U, Next" hit 1,000 likes in the same window. Other users posted the lyrics over SpongeBob edits and joked about wanting the words engraved on their graves.

The song shattered streaming records on Spotify, earning over 14.9 million plays in its first 24 hours and breaking the platform's all-time single-day record. In its first week, the track racked up more than 70 million Spotify streams. It debuted at number one on the Billboard Hot 100, making Grande the first artist to have two consecutive singles debut at the top spot. The song spent eight weeks at number one and 33 weeks on the chart overall.

A remix featuring 2 Chainz dropped on February 1, 2019. The track was nominated for Record of the Year and Best Pop Solo Performance at the 62nd Grammy Awards, and the music video won Best Art Direction at the 2019 MTV Video Music Awards. By December 2019, global sales exceeded 13.3 million copies, making it one of the best-selling digital singles ever.

How to Use This Meme

The "7 Rings" meme format typically works in two ways:

1

The broke-but-rich flex: Post about having no money, then quote a lyric from the song ("I see it, I like it, I want it, I got it") as if it applies to your $4 coffee purchase. The humor comes from the gap between Grande's lifestyle and your own.

2

The #7rings hashtag reaction: Share a screenshot, GIF, or photo of something mundane or cheap you just bought, paired with 7 Rings lyrics to frame it as a luxury experience. Common setups include buying gas station snacks with "look at my neck, look at my jet" energy, or justifying any impulse purchase with "happiness is the same price as red-bottoms."

Cultural Impact

The reaction to "7 Rings" revealed something interesting about how audiences relate to celebrity wealth. As the Vox analysis noted, people seemed genuinely grateful for Grande's excess rather than resentful of it. The article argued that pop star wealth hits differently than tech billionaire or political wealth because Grande's "sole objective" is to "dole out three-minute reprieves to the rest of us". The tweet format ("If you're tired of being poor, just listen to '7 Rings'") became a kind of collective coping mechanism during a period of rising economic anxiety.

The song also drew criticism. *The Atlantic*'s Spencer Kornhaber argued that Grande was "wearing the culture as a costume" with her use of trap production and the video's Japanese kawaii imagery. *Pitchfork*'s Jamieson Cox called it "a letdown given all of the hype," comparing it to "'My Favorite Things' as flipped by Regina George". *Rolling Stone*, on the other hand, praised it as "dangerously fun".

The "retail therapy" reading of the song entered casual slang, with Urban Dictionary entries defining "a 7 Ring problem" as a shopping addiction triggered by heartbreak.

Fun Facts

Grande and her team signed away 90% of the track's songwriting royalties to the Rodgers & Hammerstein estate before the song could be released.

The song also interpolates Notorious B.I.G.'s "Gimme the Loot," layering hip-hop and Broadway in a way only Grande could pull off.

Grande was the first artist in Billboard history to have her first two number-one singles both debut at the top spot.

The vocal range in "7 Rings" spans from G♯3 to C♯6, with Grande rapping both the hook and the final verse.

The song earned RIAA Diamond certification, making it Grande's first solo Diamond single.

Frequently Asked Questions

7 Rings

2019Viral song / catchphrase / hashtagclassic
7 Rings is a 2019 pop-trap single by Ariana Grande whose viral chorus—"I see it, I like it, I want it, I got it"—became a meme for ironically flexing fake wealth on Twitter.

"7 Rings" is a 2019 pop-trap song by Ariana Grande that became an instant meme when Twitter users turned its lavish shopping-spree lyrics into jokes about being broke. Released on January 18, 2019, the track interpolates "My Favorite Things" from *The Sound of Music* and debuted at number one on the Billboard Hot 100. The song's chorus ("I see it, I like it, I want it, I got it") became a catchphrase for ironic spending flexes, with the hashtag #7rings flooding social media as users contrasted Grande's wealth with their own empty bank accounts.

ariana grande memes music memes catchphrase memes self deprecating memes viral song memes

Overview

"7 Rings" is built on a trap-pop rework of Rodgers and Hammerstein's "My Favorite Things," with Grande rapping about Tiffany diamonds, Louboutin shoes, and buying whatever she wants. The song's title comes from a real-life shopping trip where Grande bought matching Tiffany diamond rings for six of her closest friends. On release day, the track and its music video triggered a wave of Twitter reactions that all followed the same pattern: users acknowledged they were broke, then declared they felt rich anyway because of the song.

"7 Rings" was released on January 18, 2019, by Republic Records as the second single from Grande's fifth studio album *Thank U, Next*. The song was written by Grande alongside Victoria Monét, Tayla Parx, Njomza Vitia, and Kaydence, with production from Tommy Brown, Charles Anderson, and Michael Foster. Republic Records negotiated with Concord Music (owners of the Rodgers & Hammerstein catalog) and agreed to hand over 90 percent of the songwriting royalties to secure rights to the "My Favorite Things" interpolation.

Grande first teased the track in the music video for "Thank U, Next," where the opening instrumental plays during the intro sequence and a license plate reads "7 RINGS". She described the song as a "friendship anthem" about treating her friends after her breakup with Pete Davidson. The music video, directed by Hannah Lux Davis, features a pink-hued Barbie palace aesthetic alongside a nod to 2 Chainz's pink trap house.

Origin & Background

Platform
Republic Records (song release), Twitter (meme spread)
Key People
Ariana Grande, Victoria Monét, Tayla Parx, Njomza Vitia, Kim "Kaydence" Krysiuk, Tommy Brown, Hannah Lux Davis
Date
2019

"7 Rings" was released on January 18, 2019, by Republic Records as the second single from Grande's fifth studio album *Thank U, Next*. The song was written by Grande alongside Victoria Monét, Tayla Parx, Njomza Vitia, and Kaydence, with production from Tommy Brown, Charles Anderson, and Michael Foster. Republic Records negotiated with Concord Music (owners of the Rodgers & Hammerstein catalog) and agreed to hand over 90 percent of the songwriting royalties to secure rights to the "My Favorite Things" interpolation.

Grande first teased the track in the music video for "Thank U, Next," where the opening instrumental plays during the intro sequence and a license plate reads "7 RINGS". She described the song as a "friendship anthem" about treating her friends after her breakup with Pete Davidson. The music video, directed by Hannah Lux Davis, features a pink-hued Barbie palace aesthetic alongside a nod to 2 Chainz's pink trap house.

How It Spread

Within hours of the January 18 release, Twitter erupted with a near-uniform response. Users posted variations of the same joke: they were broke, but the song made them feel rich. The Vox piece captured the mood perfectly, noting "droves of people expressing that they are broke, but they are happy that Grande is rich. Or they are broke, but they are going to pretend to be rich". One viral tweet declared that "7 Rings will fix the economy".

On the same day, YouTuber Dante D'Angelo uploaded a reaction video that pulled over 100,000 views within hours. Rapper Princess Nokia publicly noted similarities between Grande's song and her own work. Twitter user Jules Lefevre's praise tweet picked up over 1,400 likes on day one, while Nicholas Liddle's tweet claiming "7 Rings" had "dethroned" Grande's previous hit "Thank U, Next" hit 1,000 likes in the same window. Other users posted the lyrics over SpongeBob edits and joked about wanting the words engraved on their graves.

The song shattered streaming records on Spotify, earning over 14.9 million plays in its first 24 hours and breaking the platform's all-time single-day record. In its first week, the track racked up more than 70 million Spotify streams. It debuted at number one on the Billboard Hot 100, making Grande the first artist to have two consecutive singles debut at the top spot. The song spent eight weeks at number one and 33 weeks on the chart overall.

A remix featuring 2 Chainz dropped on February 1, 2019. The track was nominated for Record of the Year and Best Pop Solo Performance at the 62nd Grammy Awards, and the music video won Best Art Direction at the 2019 MTV Video Music Awards. By December 2019, global sales exceeded 13.3 million copies, making it one of the best-selling digital singles ever.

How to Use This Meme

The "7 Rings" meme format typically works in two ways:

1

The broke-but-rich flex: Post about having no money, then quote a lyric from the song ("I see it, I like it, I want it, I got it") as if it applies to your $4 coffee purchase. The humor comes from the gap between Grande's lifestyle and your own.

2

The #7rings hashtag reaction: Share a screenshot, GIF, or photo of something mundane or cheap you just bought, paired with 7 Rings lyrics to frame it as a luxury experience. Common setups include buying gas station snacks with "look at my neck, look at my jet" energy, or justifying any impulse purchase with "happiness is the same price as red-bottoms."

Cultural Impact

The reaction to "7 Rings" revealed something interesting about how audiences relate to celebrity wealth. As the Vox analysis noted, people seemed genuinely grateful for Grande's excess rather than resentful of it. The article argued that pop star wealth hits differently than tech billionaire or political wealth because Grande's "sole objective" is to "dole out three-minute reprieves to the rest of us". The tweet format ("If you're tired of being poor, just listen to '7 Rings'") became a kind of collective coping mechanism during a period of rising economic anxiety.

The song also drew criticism. *The Atlantic*'s Spencer Kornhaber argued that Grande was "wearing the culture as a costume" with her use of trap production and the video's Japanese kawaii imagery. *Pitchfork*'s Jamieson Cox called it "a letdown given all of the hype," comparing it to "'My Favorite Things' as flipped by Regina George". *Rolling Stone*, on the other hand, praised it as "dangerously fun".

The "retail therapy" reading of the song entered casual slang, with Urban Dictionary entries defining "a 7 Ring problem" as a shopping addiction triggered by heartbreak.

Fun Facts

Grande and her team signed away 90% of the track's songwriting royalties to the Rodgers & Hammerstein estate before the song could be released.

The song also interpolates Notorious B.I.G.'s "Gimme the Loot," layering hip-hop and Broadway in a way only Grande could pull off.

Grande was the first artist in Billboard history to have her first two number-one singles both debut at the top spot.

The vocal range in "7 Rings" spans from G♯3 to C♯6, with Grande rapping both the hook and the final verse.

The song earned RIAA Diamond certification, making it Grande's first solo Diamond single.

Frequently Asked Questions