I hate that Ariana Grande made me love her too

...because I'm trying to recover from fangirlism.

Ariana Grande released her new single “hate that I made you love me” on Friday May 29th 2026. The song introduces her upcoming eighth album petal, released independently under BabyDoll Music with exclusive license to her longtime record label, Republic Records. I listened to it at 9 PM PST on Thursday May 28th, famously the west coast loophole to new music Friday. I was weirdly nervous to listen to it, because I am such a big and intense fan that anticipating her new music and hearing it for the first time can be more important to me than the music itself. Though this time around, the anticipation was different than other album cycles of hers. I was less emotionally invested; my intrigue was a little more intellectual. What will Ariana’s new music sound like when it’s not in response to some public tragedy (terrorism, death, divorce) or whirlwind romance-turned-marriage amidst a pandemic (I loved you from dot one, Positions)? The last album she released as an artist without a meta narrative attached to it was Dangerous Woman in 2016, exactly ten years ago this month. That album was one banger after another, the most Pop Music Industry™ project she’s released to this day, and it still left an impression all her own.

With petal, set to release on July 31st, 2026, Ariana Grande is sending mixed signals. The first taste we got was the album cover, shot by Katia Temkin. It’s unlike any of her previous albums, on which Ariana wears her signature updos, and her face is either turned away from the camera, obscured, or nevertheless disaffected. The closest we get to petal’s cover photo is that of the aforementioned Dangerous Woman, featuring a black & white shot of Ariana looking directly into the camera wearing the infamous bunny mask of that era. Now ten years later, releasing a record with no public pretense as to what it might explore, she’s returned with a revamp. Masks are off and by golly, our girl looks happy! This time the image, also black & white, is a close up shot of her smiling face. Her teeth are bared, and her hair is down and wavy (a distant nod to her elusive natural texture). It all comes together to create an image that feels very free and vulnerable. I wonder if petal is a reintroduction to Ariana Grande—on her terms?

If it is, “hate that i made you love me” gives me a lot to chew on. First of all, it and the new album are coming to us not long after eternal sunshine’s deluxe, brighter days ahead, which was released less than a year ago. In some respects, the new single feels like a sonic and lyrical continuation of that project. Much like “we can’t be friends”, Ariana uses the language of a romantic relationship to address the public. Although she does get a little more direct on this bridge, singing: “Is it really my fault you all gave me your hearts of your own accord?” Unless Ariana Grande is in a really precarious, NDA-clad polycule, I’d say it’s pretty clear she is addressing the fans. Speaking of singing, she sounds insane. The actual first thing I noticed was her voice: she performs the song in such a strikingly low register, and with such a rich, clear tone. I’ve literally never heard her like this before. The choice feels intentional in a thematically defiant song that comes after years of fans and critics alike bemoaning her bright, Glinda-fied voice on the two Wicked press tours and on eternal sunshine. Like, here you go people! Voice deeper than ever! P.s. Fuck you! Which feels like the flip side of the same coin from eternal sunshine. I remember feeling frustrated that Ariana performed so many of the songs on that record with restraint. Her voice was light and bright all over, sometimes even falsetto-y, like on the title track. I figured this was in part due to the training and vocal placement required of Glinda, as she did record the album on a short break from filming, but I also read it as an artistic choice. Ariana boasted the most writing and producing credits she’d ever had on eternal sunshine. It seemed the shift in performance was intended to highlight her talent as a songwriter and music-maker over her already known voice.

On “hate that i made you love me”, I’LL TAKE THE CHANGE, SISTER! I really like the lower register, whether or not it’s pointed, and with or without belting. It’s wonderfully dark, moody, sexy. It is its own vocal flex, showcasing Ariana’s range and control. I can always count on her voice being beautiful. What I’m actually missing, over the belting and runs that most fans cite, and which is also actually unlike eternal sunshine, is her signature stacking. It’s not completely missing from the song—it does show up eventually, subtly towards the last chorus. But I wanted the layers and layers, harmonies and adlibs built into the production. She’s been developing that skill her entire career, even before she had a career, and I am always attuned to it. To be clear, I love that Ariana is consistently evolving her sound and exploring new styles; it’s a quality I always find compelling in an artist. However, I consider her vocal production one of the unique qualities that distinguishes her from other pop artists, and I’d like to hear it carried throughout her discography. It’s the quality that always contextualizes a new sound she might be exploring into her artistic ethos. And it’s so distinctly Ariana that without it, something feels uncanny. Still, the song is undeniably good. Obviously. Duh. It’s Ariana Grande, Max Martin, and Ilya Salmanzadeh (whose last name I learned recently meaning I also recently learned he’s Iranian! W for the diaspora), so it couldn’t be bad. The melodies are sticky and stuck in my head, and I really like the eerie Twilight Zone aquatic production. My sister described the sound as “a tone going up and down”. Neither of us can fully put our fingers on it, but it makes sense. It’s listlessness, a set of drunken bones under skin, the swaying feeling of being fresh off a week-long cruise. We’ve never heard her like this before! So from the vocals to the production, we are not in Kansas anymore. That’s why I feel the slight uncanniness. But where I feel confused, maybe Ariana feels inspired. Maybe subversion has been the framework from which she’s moved to create.

In an Instagram video from May 7th documenting her presentation of petal to her team at Republic, Ariana describes using “breaking up with all kinds of negative attachments” as a “writing template” so that she could talk about her life with enough abstraction that a listener can make it their own. From 2024’s “we can’t be friends” to this year’s “hate that i made you love me”, it’s clear that she’s officially drawn a line in the sand. While the public continues to scrutinize her for whatever is available, the truth is, Ariana has never been more out of reach. All the interviews she’s given over the last couple of years teasing some major changes to her pop stardom have scared fans into thinking she’d step away from music, or dramatically decrease her output. I think the reality is that she’s just changing the output. As she’s moved into acting more seriously, she can no longer be Ariana Grande the way we knew her pre-Wicked. She represents more than herself and her world now. Now, Ariana is an actress who represents the projects she’s in. She represents entire productions, studios, and IP. This has been her dream since the beginning. If the unimaginable pain of experiencing abject trauma on the world stage wasn’t enough to force a change to her public life, showmanship surely will.

All of this to say: I like this song. It’s different. Not particularly moving, but I do like it. I’m interested in what it signals both about Ariana’s artistic development and her role as a pop-star actress. Also? “Hate that I made you love me, ‘cause I barely tried”? Girl… please! Work ethic of a literal robot machine without an off button, I think you put in some effort there. (And thank god for that.)

<3

Nik