No Tears Left To Cry: Ariana Grande's uplifting new single alludes to Manchester
- Published
The singer released No Tears Left To Cry worldwide at 0500 GMT
Ariana Grande has returned with her first new music since the terrorist bombing that killed 22 people outside her Manchester Arena show in May 2017.
No Tears Left To Cry alludes to the attack, while channelling the resilience and optimism of her One Love benefit concert, held just two weeks after the atrocity.
"Ain't got no tears left to cry," she sings in the single's soaring chorus.
"So I'm loving, I'm living, I'm picking it up."
Produced by Max Martin, the song transforms from its sombre, gospel-inspired introduction into a summery pop banger - pairing Grande's emotional vocals with a light-footed dance beat.
Lyrically, Grande resolves to overcome fear and hatred "even when it's raining down".
"We're way too fly to partake in all this hate," she sings. "We out here vibin'."
At the end of the music video, a worker bee - the symbol of Manchester - flies towards the camera, in homage to the city.
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The 24-year-old has been teasing the song on social media since Tuesday, when she tweeted a teardrop emoji followed by a message telling fans, "missed you."
Subsequent messages contained the title in an upside-down, back-to-front font; and the single's artwork - a greyed-out photograph of Grande, with a rainbow smudged across her eyes.
'She felt everything'
Speaking earlier this year, Grande's manager, Scooter Braun, said the star had "cried for days" over the loss of life in Manchester.
"She felt everything - every face they announced, every name, she wore on her sleeve. Every bit of emotion because that's who she is."
Grande also said she had been reluctant to return to the studio following the attacks, telling Billboard magazine, external that concluding her world tour had "been a lot emotionally".
"It would be nice to really hold my loved ones close for a little while, stay home for a little bit," she added.
Stars spread a message of love at the Manchester concert
Grande eventually entered the studio late last year, working with Martin and Pharrell Williams, who told the LA Times the singer's new lyrics were "amazing".
"The things that she has to say on this album, it's pretty next-level," he added, external.
No Tears Left To Cry premiered worldwide at 0500 GMT, with the UK debut on Adele Roberts' Radio 1 show.
It finds the star emerging from grief and encouraging fans to "come with me".
"Right now I'm in a state of mind I want to be in, like, all the time," she sings defiantly.
"I'm loving, I'm living and I like it."
Fans on Twitter were predictably enthusiastic about the new record, with the hashtag #NoTearsLeftToCry trending worldwide, while the Dave Meyers-directed video was watched half a million times in just 30 minutes.
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The star's brother, Frankie Grande, also tweeted praise for his sister, saying:"Music was made to unite & with this brilliant masterpiece u have done just that."
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