Image caption The singer released No Tears Left To Cry worldwide at 0500 GMT
Ariana Grande has returned with her first new music since the terrorist bombing that killed 22 people outside her Manchester Arena show in May 2017.
No Tears Left To Cry alludes to the attack, while channelling the resilience and optimism of her One Love benefit concert, held just two weeks after the atrocity.
"Ain't got no tears left to cry," she sings in the single's soaring chorus.
"So I'm loving, I'm living, I'm picking it up."
Produced by Max Martin, the song transforms from its sombre, gospel-inspired introduction into a summery pop banger - pairing Grande's emotional vocals with a light-footed dance beat.
Lyrically, Grande resolves to overcome fear and hatred "even when it's raining down".
"We're way too fly to partake in all this hate," she sings. "We out here vibin'."
At the end of the music video, a worker bee - the symbol of Manchester - flies towards the camera, in homage to the city.
The 24-year-old has been teasing the song on social media since Tuesday, when she tweeted a teardrop emoji followed by a message telling fans, "missed you."
Subsequent messages contained the title in an upside-down, back-to-front font; and the single's artwork - a greyed-out photograph of Grande, with a rainbow smudged across her eyes.
'She felt everything'
Speaking earlier this year, Grande's manager, Scooter Braun, said the star had "cried for days" over the loss of life in Manchester.
"She felt everything - every face they announced, every name, she wore on her sleeve. Every bit of emotion because that's who she is."
Grande also said she had been reluctant to return to the studio following the attacks, telling Billboard magazine that concluding her world tour had "been a lot emotionally".
"It would be nice to really hold my loved ones close for a little while, stay home for a little bit," she added.
Media playback is unsupported on your device Media caption Stars spread a message of love at the Manchester concert
Grande eventually entered the studio late last year, working with Martin and Pharrell Williams, who told the LA Times the singer's new lyrics were "amazing".
"The things that she has to say on this album, it's pretty next-level," he added.
No Tears Left To Cry premiered worldwide at 0500 GMT, with the UK debut on Adele Roberts' Radio 1 show.
It finds the star emerging from grief and encouraging fans to "come with me".
"Right now I'm in a state of mind I want to be in, like, all the time," she sings defiantly.
"I'm loving, I'm living and I like it."
Fans on Twitter were predictably enthusiastic about the new record, with the hashtag #NoTearsLeftToCry trending worldwide, while the Dave Meyers-directed video was watched half a million times in just 30 minutes.
The star's brother, Frankie Grande, also tweeted praise for his sister, saying:"Music was made to unite & with this brilliant masterpiece u have done just that."
Skip Twitter post by @FrankieJGrande ariana u make me so incredibly proud every singe day & today is no exception. i’m so proud of the way u have brought people from all over the 🌎 together tonight w/ #notearslefttocry. music was made to unite & with this brilliant masterpiece u have done just that. i love u. ❤️ — Frankie James Grande (@FrankieJGrande) April 20, 2018 Report
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From Tragedy to 'No Tears Left': Ariana Grande's Career Timeline Since 'Dangerous Woman'
Ariana Grande has a massive comeback brewing. The pop star has been unimaginably busy since dropping her last album, and now, new music from the dangerous woman is finally within our fingertips.
In honor of the hitmaker's return, Billboard has organized a timeline in order to better grasp what all Grande has been up to since her latest release. From starring in a musical to being the center of a tragedy and just about everything in-between, here's a timeline of Grande's career since dropping Dangerous Woman.
May 20, 2016: Grande drops her third studio album, Dangerous Woman, which peaks at No. 2 on the Billboard 200.
August 2016: The singer gives a salute to Whitney Houston on the season finale of the ABC show Greatest Hits. She also headlines the first night of the Billboard Hot 100 Festival, bringing along Mac Miller to help her perform their collab hit (and her early breakout single) "The Way."
September 2016: Grande confirms that she has been dating Miller -- but was anyone shocked?
December 2016: The former Nickelodeon star returns to her acting roots with a portrayal of Penny Pingleton in Hairspray Live!, and participates in that year's Jingle Ball Tour.
February 2017: The Dangerous Woman World Tour commences. The singer also collaborates with John Legend in a rendition of the title track to the live-action remake of Beauty and the Beast.
May 22, 2017: Grande's tour is tragically interrupted when a suicide bomber attacks at her Manchester Area show in England, killing 22 concert goers and injuring over 500 others. She subsequently cancels all following dates through June 5.
June 4, 2017: In an inspiring comeback just two weeks after the horrifying incident, Grande organizes and performs at her benefit concert, One Love Manchester. Various superstars -- including Justin Bieber, Katy Perry, Coldplay, Niall Horan and Miley Cyrus -- also perform at the event to over 50,000 attendees, raising millions of dollars to aid victims and their families affected by the bombing.
August 2017: Grande's episode of Carpool Karaoke is released, featuring her belting Broadway showtunes alongside Family Guy creator Seth MacFarlane. Although the two nearly crash, they have a blast in the process.
December 31, 2017: The singer posts a vague, sparkly video on her Instagram, giving fans the very first taste of new music. "See you next year," reads the caption.
see you next year A post shared by Ariana Grande (@arianagrande) on Dec 31, 2017 at 8:00pm PST
March, 2018: Reports surface that Grande's fourth studio album is supposedly complete.
March 24, 2018: Grande, no stranger to recent tragedy, performs at the student-organized March For Our Lives rally in support of gun control. The event came following the infamous shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, in which 17 students were killed.
April 17, 2018: After a social media hiatus ended by a couple of cryptic tweets, Grande announces her next single will be available Friday, Apr. 20.
Ariana Grande Shares Another Cryptic Photo on Eve of 'No Tears Left to Cry' Single Release
After revealing the solemn cover art for her next single “No Tears Left To Cry” via Twitter on Wednesday (Apr. 18), Ariana Grande posted another moody, cryptic pic on Twitter Thursday morning (Apr. 19) that continues the upside-down theme. The photo in the same blueish hue as its predecessor, finds an upside down Grande sitting on a gray staircase wearing a blue tank top, sporting her newly blonde hair. Her light jean jacket is curled at her side while her face is consumed by shadows. The intriguing snap was also shared with a link to her website, which is currently inactive minus an upside-down clock counting down the hours until her new single is released.
Grande’s social media hiatus, which began on New Year’s Eve, finally ended on Tuesday (Apr. 16), when she tweeted out a teardrop emoji followed by the singer telling her fans “missed you.” “No Tears Left To Cry” will be the singer's first release since 2016’s Dangerous Woman, and her first since the Manchester Bombing, which left 22 people dead at her concert in England last May.
Check out the photos below
-- — Ariana Grande (@ArianaGrande) April 17, 2018
