Two pop’s reigning forces collide.
After collaborating with Justin Bieber on their chart-topping hit “Stuck With U,” Ariana Grande joins Lady Gaga for her new single “Rain on Me.” The pop powerhouses celebrate their truth on the dance-floor anthem f Gaga’s new album Chromatica. “Teardrops on my face / Let it wash away my sins,” sings Grande before Gaga responds, “It’s coming down on me / Let it wash away.”
Speaking with Apple Music, Gaga opened up about the inspiration behind the song. “‘Rain on Me’] is also a metaphor for tears and for the amount alcohol I was taking to numb myself. I’d rather be dry but at least I’m alive, rain on me,” she said.
Gaga and Grande forged a friendship through the music. “When she came into the studio, I was still crying and she was not. And she was like, ‘You’re going to be OK. Call me; here’s my number,’” Gaga told Apple Music. “And she was so persistent. She would try over and over again to be friends with me. And I was too ashamed to hang out with her because I didn’t want to project all this negativity onto something that was healing and so beautiful. And eventually she called me on my sh*t. She was, ‘You’re hiding.’ And I was … and then this friendship blossomed.”
Chromatica, Gaga’s first album since 2016’s Joanne, is due May 29. In addition to Ariana, the album includes collaborations with Elton John and Blackpink.