Photo: Republic
Ariana Grande is reflecting on fame in her latest single.
On Friday (May 29), Grande dropped her new single "hate that i made you love me," the first release from her upcoming album petal, out July 31. The vulnerable track may at first glance appear to be another song about relationship struggles, but as the lyrics progress, it seemingly shines a light on Grande's complicated views on being a public figure.
"I've held your projections when you've felt so insecure/ Tell me why is it this way/ Why you so hate to see women endure," she sings in the bridge. "Is it really my fault/ You all gave me your hearts/ Of your own accord?/ I don't really think so."
"Hate that i made you love me" marks the first glimpse at Grande's new era ahead of the summer release of petal via Republic Records, her long-awaited eighth studio album and a follow-up to 2024's Eternal Sunshine. She has previously described the project as "a little feral" and explained that it's "basically about something that is full of life growing through the cracks of something that is cold and hard and challenging."
"It's kind of about breaking up with all different kinds of negative attachments, whether it's my own monsters in my own head, external voices, things that no longer serve me," she said. "I could be talking about one thing, sharing something, and people could use it however they want and apply it to their own lives."
Petal arrives July 31 in the midst of Grande's Eternal Sunshine tour, which kicks off in June and marks her first tour in six years.
You can listen to "hate that i made you love me" on iHeartRadio.