Victoria Monet, Ariana Grande Respond to Recent Tragedies With ‘Better Days’
Victoria Monét and Ariana Grande have teamed for a new song titled “Better Days,” the singers’ optimistic response to the recent police-involved shootings of Alton Sterling in Baton Rouge and Philando Castile outside the Twin Cities, Minnesota, as well as the death of five police officers at a Dallas protest. The track is available to stream or download for free at Monet’s Soundcloud page.
The Flip-produced “Better Days” opens with Monét singing, “Baby there’s a war right outside our window / Don’t you hear the people fighting for their lives?” After the two singers split vocals on the uplifting chorus, Grande takes over on the bridge. “So how we gonna stop the violence, stop the hurting? / Stop the hatred, stop the murder,” Grande sings. “We’re all human, that’s for certain / Come together, we deserve it / What kind of life will our babies have if we don’t change up and make it last? / It starts right here, starts right now.”
“I’m heartbroken by all of the recent tragedies the came as a result of hatred, racism and injustice,” Monét wrote on the song’s Soundcloud page. “I’m also sad at how numb some of us are to it, because it is far too common! This is not a video game or a movie you’re witnessing on your screens! This is our unfortunate REALITY! When I think about how I feel, the word confused comes to mind…So today we just want to try and help in one of the ways we know how!”
“During this challenging time, we have to remember that the only way we will progress is if the overruling force is #Love.” Grande wrote on Instagram. “Too many precious lives were taken from us this week, this month, this year. Rest in peace #AltonSterling. Rest in peace #PhilandoCastile #BlackLivesMatter. And the police that were peacefully guarding the #BlackLivesMatter rally in Dallas…. Rest in peace. #LorneAhrens, #MichaelKrol,#MichaelJSmith, #BrentThompson &#PatrickZamarripa.”
Both singers added of “Better Days,” “Music is a universal language that all of us can feel regardless of color lines, gender, sexuality, age, race, religion…. it unifies us. We believe we can not fight hate with hate, only love. Just as we can not fight darkness with more darkness. Only Light.”