Ariana Grande Releases First Single Since Manchester Tragedy — No Tears Left To Cry (Song Review)

Editor's Note: This piece was originally posted on April 20, 2018 on UIC Radio's old blog

After the bombing that took the lives of 22 people at Ariana Grande’s Dangerous Woman concert in Manchester, one can imagine the amount of tears and pain that has come from Grande and her team. Now almost a year later, Grande is back with rainbow prisms, upside down aesthetics, and the liberation of moving forward with No Tears Left To Cry  (NTLTC), her first single since the tragedy.

Fans were speculating to hear a mournful ballad after listening to the teaser of NTLTC that was posted onto Grande’s social media before its release. However, after hearing the full track, it is clear that Grande is over the tears and is moving on to a state of optimism and happiness. “Ain’t got no tears left to cry / so I’m pickin’ it up, pickin’ it up / I’m lovin’, I’m livin’, I’m pickin’ it up” the 24-year-old sings.

Grande shows off her typical diva style while offering up an upbeat pop anthem with NTLTC. Serving 80s house-music synth triplets, and her gospel-range vocals sounding stronger than ever, this sanctuary of a banger is ready to bring light and love back into Grande’s fan-base.

The deliberate fake out of what was supposed to be a somber song is a reminder to all that recovery, survival, and resilience will always be an option instead of musing over the past.

Based on what we received from NTLTC, if I were to make predictions on what we should expect from AG4, I would suggest that Grande is going to take us back to the “My Everything” era of her sophomore album – but with more confidence and strength.