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Ariana Grande Calls Out Her Critics on Charli XCX "Sympathy Is a Knife" Remix
Here's what Grande had to add to the song.
In her big Wicked solo, Ariana Grande will extoll the virtues of being "Popular." But in real life, fame and adoration are more complicated, which is why Grande was the perfect person for pop star Charli XCX to add to her song "Sympathy Is A Knife" for the brat remix album, Brat and it’s completely different but also still brat.
XCX told Apple's Zane Lowe that the success of brat made her even more aware that she will often be misunderstood by the public, and said, "I had heard that Ari wanted to do something and I was like, this is somebody who definitely knows this feeling moreso than me," per People.
On the original song, Charli sings about success amplifying her insecurities, with constant comparisons to other artists and making her doubt herself. On the remix, Grande talks about the same issues from her perspective, being accused of things she didn't do and caught between different factions of her fandom. Read on for more about the new verse.
What Ariana Grande added to Charli XCX's "Sympathy Is A Knife"
In her verse, Grande sings, "it's a knife when you're so pretty they think you must be fake" and "it's a knife when they dissect your body on the front page." Last year, Grande addressed rumors about her body in a candid TikTok video asking people to speak kindly and assume less when looking at strangers' figures.
Other lines in the song include, "it's a knife when the mean fans hate the nice fans" and "when somebody says 'Ari, I think you've totally changed' (no shit)," making it clear that the "fans" can do as much damage as the media with constant scrutiny and ever-shifting expectations.
Ariana Grande hosts Saturday Night Live on October 12
Alongside musical guest Stevie Nicks, the former The Voice Coach will return to 30 Rockefeller Center for her second round as host, reuniting with Wicked co-star and SNL cast member Bowen Yang!
In a new promo clip, Grande's gathered cast members Michael Longfellow, Devon Walker, Marcello Hernández, and Andrew Dismukes to discuss her sketch preferences for the show. "I'm so excited to be hosting this week, but before we start, I just want to say I would really prefer not to do anything Wicked or Wizard of Oz-related," Grande tells them.
The "We Can't Be Friends" singer's decision is a shock to the cast, who are already dressed as the Cowardly Lion, Dorothy, the Scarecrow, and the Tin Man. After taking a moment, Dismukes (the Tin Man) asks Grande, "May we come back in one hour?"
