Here's What Ariana Grande's New Song Really Means

"When I say 'focus on me' I'm not asking to be the center of attention."

It’s here! After months — literally months — of hype, Ariana Grande finally released her new single, “Focus,” last night.

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The track is a brassy, "Problem"-esque banger with Ariana commanding the listener to "focus on me" in her trademark melismatic way.

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While, on first listen, the song sounds like a warning to an ungrateful lover, "Focus" is actually intended to be an anthem of acceptance and empowerment.

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"When I say 'focus on me' I'm not asking to be the center of attention," Ariana explained in a vlog earlier this month. "I'm not asking for you to focus on my clothes or my face or my body or my singing voice."

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"By 'focus on me' I literally mean focus on me — on what I'm all about, on what I believe in," she continued.

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"The more we focus on each other as people and not what we look and not what we're wearing — our gender, our hairstyle, our sexuality, the color of skin — but focus on each other on a soul level, the more we realize how much we have in common."

According to Ariana, "you judge because you don't 'focus on me,' you don't focus on each other."

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"You focus on what you think people should be like for you, but when you stop and you actually focus on them, you see the light in them."

"When you focus on me, you see the light in me. When you focus on each other, you see the light in each other."

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Preach it, Ariana!

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