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By Jasmine Gleave (Y7)
From the first second you hit play on an Ariana Grande song you are entranced. But is this the case for her newest piece of work? ‘Hate That I Made You Love Me’ is a completely different twist on her usual style. Instead of her iconic explosive, high energy, hip hop vibe it showcases more of a down-tempo, minimalist tune. Yet is it a HIT or MISS for the world of pop icons?
What makes ‘I Hate That I Made You Love Me’ a brilliant song is its flawless take on the outside world. Ariana made it sound like her normal genre of songs; healing, love life and independence conveyed through her lyrics. But she was able to knead in the audience’s commentary through her own experience. Grande was able to express how the public eye had been tormenting how she felt about herself. As quoted by Capitalfm News, ‘it appears that there’s a double meaning behind the song.’ This suggests that she is taking sections of her former relationships and being able to connect them with her hate. The most significant part of this was her appearance and about how her fans and haters both criticised her. The way she was able to cleverly talk about her life without making it too significant made this melody stand out from all the rest.
Even through the massive success there are still hints of controversy and debate. As stated in the paragraph above, this song is about how she fights the public eye. This has created tension between the audience. RouteNote has highlighted how people are feeling accused and betrayed by their idol. As if Grande is blaming them for her sadness and shame. Some specific lyrics, such as ‘you studied my crown and borrowed my body,’ highlight these allegations. To some, it feels like she is dumping all of her insecurities on the crowd of fans and listeners. A single review from Pop Commentary has quoted ‘but I think the downside of Ariana being so fast and loose with her feelings and her albums is that they stopped feeling whole.’ From this specific quote one recognises the immediate tension between the audience and the artist, cementing this as a song that some people love and others despise.
Personally, I think Ariana Grande has outdone herself with this incredible performance. I feel that the way she was able to express herself and how she felt was brave and true. She has quoted many times before that she is proud of who she is as a person and she will not change because of what the public wants. I find the way she was able to tell this to the world was utterly clever and reasonable from all of the backlash and hate she has received. In conclusion, I say bravo to Ariana Grande and her brilliant song.
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