"Break Free" | ||||
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Single by Ariana Grande featuring Zedd | ||||
from the album My Everything | ||||
Released | July 2, 2014 | |||
Recorded |
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Studio | Conway Recording Studios
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Genre | ||||
Length | 3:34 | |||
Label | Republic | |||
Songwriter(s) | ||||
Producer(s) |
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Ariana Grande singles chronology | ||||
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Zedd singles chronology | ||||
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Music video | ||||
"Break Free" on YouTube |
"Break Free" is a song by American singer Ariana Grande,featuring Russian-German music producer Zedd. It was released by Republic Records on July 2,2014 as the second single from Grande's second studio album,My Everything (2014). It was written by Savan Kotecha and its producers Zedd and Max Martin. Musically,the song explores EDM and electro genres,a musical departure for Grande,whose discography is primarily composed of pop and R&B. [4] [5] [2]
"Break Free" peaked at number four on the Billboard Hot 100,becoming Grande's third consecutive top-ten from My Everything after "Problem" and "Bang Bang",and fourth overall in the US. Similarly,"Break Free" hit number three on the Australian ARIA Charts,and number five on the Canadian Hot 100 and the New Zealand Singles Chart. Overall,the song attained top-ten peaks in multiple countries including Austria,Czech Republic,Finland,Ireland,the Netherlands,Norway,Poland,Slovakia,and Sweden,as well as reaching the top twenty in Belgium,Denmark,Germany,Italy,Japan,Poland,Scotland,South Korea,Spain,Switzerland,and the United Kingdom.
The song has been certified triple Platinum by the RIAA and has sold 1.9 million copies in the United States as of 2020,making it Grande's seventh single to have sold over a million. "Break Free" also marked a milestone in Grande's career,as it entered the top ten on the Billboard Hot 100 the same week "Bang Bang" and "Problem" were charting. Consequently,she became the second lead female artist in chart history to simultaneously hold three positions in the top ten on the Hot 100 after Adele.
"Break Free" was written by Savan Kotecha, Zedd and Max Martin and produced by the latter two. [6] [7] The song was originally intended for a male singer, due to her working on his 2013 single "Say Somethin". In a May 2014 interview during which he talked about "Break Free", Zedd spoke about wanting to collaborate with Grande after hearing her voice for the first time at a Universal showcase. He said, "I was backstage and I heard someone sing. And I didn't know who it was, and I just said 'I want to make a song with whoever is singing right now.' I didn't know who it was, and it turned out to be her. And luckily, now there's a song!" [6] [8] Grande first spoke about collaborating on a song with Zedd in late April in an interview with Billboard. She described the song as "fantastic and super-experimental for me" and further stated, "I never thought I'd do an EDM song, but that was an eye-opening experience, and now all I want to do is dance." [9] [10] She later talked about the song at Wango Tango and shared that she wanted it to be the next single. [11] [12]
According to the sheet music published at Musicnotes.com by Kobalt Music Services America, "Break Free" is written in the key of G minor. [13] Ariana Grande commented on the seemingly nonsensical lyrics, telling Time magazine, "I fought [Max Martin] on it the whole time. I am not going to sing a grammatically incorrect lyric, help me, God! Max was like, 'It's funny — just do it!'" [14]
On May 10, 2014, during an interview after her performance at Wango Tango, Grande revealed that she wanted "Break Free" to be her next single after "Problem". She said, "I did a song with Zedd, who I just met for the first time here, and I'm really excited about that song. I really want that to be the second single. My whole team is like, 'Oh it's too early to pick a new single,' but I'm really leaning towards that one. I love that song so much. He's fantastic and the song is really fun." [15]
Grande began dropping hints about her second single on social media throughout the month of June but did not confirm that it was her Zedd collaboration until June 21, at which point she also revealed the song's name on Twitter. To build hype, Grande started an online countdown for the ten days leading up to "Break Free's" release. On June 28, Grande uploaded a teaser video with a snippet of the song to her Instagram account. [16]
"Break Free" premiered on the one-day revival of the MTV show Total Request Live in a half-hour special titled Total Ariana Live on July 2, 2014. [17] It was made available for purchase as a digital download on iTunes a few hours after the TRL premiere. [18] [19] It reached the number one spot on the iTunes Sales Chart soon after its release. [20]
Rachel Sonis from Idolator gave the song a positive review calling it "the club anthem of the summer" and thought that Grande herself is "dipping her toes into exciting new waters for her upcoming record." [21] Lewis Corner from Digital Spy gave the song four stars out of five and said that the track is "too catchy to be generic". [22] Larry Fitzmaurice from Pitchfork also liked the song praising both the production part of the song and the vocal saying that, "from the zippy opening synth line to the verse's insistent pounding, 'Break Free' certainly invites comparisons to Swedish pop mastermind Robyn; as ever, Grande brings her own skyscraping voice in top form, so vocally the comparisons don't stick." He compared the message of the song to Kelly Clarkson's "Since U Been Gone". [2]
"Break Free" was nominated at the 2014 Teen Choice Awards in the Break-Up Song category. [23] It was also nominated for Top Dance/Electronic Song at the 2015 Billboard Music Awards. [24]
Year | Organization | Award | Result | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|---|
2014 | Teen Choice Awards | Choice Break-Up Song | Nominated | [25] |
2015 | Billboard Music Awards | Top Dance/Electronic Song | Nominated | [26] |
Telehit Awards | Most Popular Video in Telehit | Nominated | [27] |
In the United States, "Break Free" debuted at number 15 on the Billboard Hot 100 with 161,000 digital downloads sold in its first week, entering the Digital Songs chart at number five. [28] [29] Following the release of the song's official music video on August 12, "Break Free" soared on the Hot 100 from number 18 to number four, becoming Grande's fourth top-ten single and her third consecutive top-ten single of 2014. [30] Grande's other singles, "Bang Bang" and "Problem" were also in the Billboard Hot 100 top ten that week, placing at number ten and seven respectively. With three songs in the top ten, Ariana Grande became the second female lead artist to have three singles in the top ten since Adele in 2012. In that same week, "Break Free" jumped from 14 to four on the Billboard Digital Songs charts with 116,000 digital downloads sold, along with "Bang Bang" and the promotional single "Best Mistake" (featuring Big Sean) ranking at numbers two and six respectively. Consequently, Grande became the first female artist to have three songs placing in the top six of the Billboard Digital Songs chart simultaneously and the second overall artist since Michael Jackson. [31] This also marked Zedd's second top ten and his highest-peaking single to date in the US. "Break Free" also peaked at number three on the Dance Club Songs, while topping the Dance/Electronic Songs chart for nine weeks, becoming Grande's and Zedd's first number one in the latter. The song has sold 1.9 million copies in the nation as of June 2020. [32]
Internationally, the song also reached the top ten in Australia, [33] Austria, [34] Canada, [35] Finland, [36] Ireland, [37] Netherlands, [38] New Zealand, [39] Poland, [40] and Sweden. [41]
In March 2022, "Break Free" has received attention in the Philippines during a campaign rally for presidential candidate, Vice President Leni Robredo and her running mate, Sen. Francis Pangilinan. A video of the crowd singing "Break Free" went viral, catching the attention of Grande herself. Grande posted the video on Instagram, stating "I could not believe this was real. I love you more than words". An estimated 137,000 people attended the rally. [42]
The music video was filmed from June 10–12, 2014. [44] It was directed by Chris Marrs Piliero. Having an intergalactic theme, Grande stated that the video was inspired by the 1968 sci-fi film Barbarella , the Star Wars series and space in general. [45] [46] [47] [48] The plot consists of Grande on a fictional planet renouncing her allegiance to an evil regime of extraterrestrials and freeing a group of prisoners from their cages. She subsequently attacks a giant robot using missiles, but the robot managed to release its hand to catch her, bringing her to the planet's overlord. Her character succeeds in defeating the villain, and the clip ends with Grande and the prisoners she rescued flying away in a spaceship, partying with the crew, as Beats by Dre products are visible in the scene. The song's producer Zedd makes an appearance.
It premiered on YouTube on August 12, 2014. It surpassed 100 million views on October 5, making it Grande's third Vevo-certified music video after "The Way" and "Problem". It made its televised debut three days later on Disney Channel during its original movie How to Build a Better Boy . [49] [50] As of May 2019, the video has received over 1 billion views on YouTube. [51]
Grande first performed at the "IHeartRadio Theater at the L.A Honda Stage" on August 22, 2014. She performs the song for the second time at the 31st annual MTV Video Music Awards on August 24, 2014. [52] She then went on to perform it on several television shows, including America's Got Talent on August 27, [53] on Today on August 29, [54] and on The X Factor Australia on September 8. [55] She also performed it at the iHeartRadio Music Festival on September 19. [56] [57] She performed a half acoustic, half upbeat version of "Break Free" on Saturday Night Live on September 27, 2014. [58] Grande once again performed "Break Free" at the 2014 MTV Europe Music Awards on November 9, 2014, opening up the show along with her other single "Problem". Grande performed the song at the American Music Awards on November 23, 2014. [59] "Break Free" was part of Grande's set list for the Honeymoon Tour, the Dangerous Woman Tour and One Love Manchester, a benefit concert held on June 4, 2017, for the victims of the Manchester Arena bombing. [60]
The song was also performed at Grande's Sweetener World Tour on all dates from March 18 to November 22, 2019, before it was removed.
Credits adapted from My Everything liner notes. [61]
Recording and management
Personnel
For its sixth season, the hit musical-comedy TV series Glee covered this song in the ninth episode titled "Child Star". This version is performed by Lea Michele, Josie Totah, Dot-Marie Jones, Jane Lynch, Matthew Morrison, and Chord Overstreet as their characters Rachel Berry, Myron Muskovitz, Sheldon Beiste, Sue Sylvester, Will Schuester, and Sam Evans, respectively. A small portion of the lyrics is changed for an unknown reason.
Fantasy-comedy series The Good Place uses the original recording of this song as background music for a sequence in its series premiere "Everything Is Fine".
Reese Witherspoon and Nick Kroll performed this in the 2021 animated feature Sing 2 as Rosita and Gunther.
Dakota Lotus, Olivia Sanabia and Ruby Rose Turner sing a portion of the song in a 2020 episode of Coop & Cami Ask the World in their respective roles as Coop, Charlotte and Cami, after Ariana Grande fails to show up at Cami's birthday party. The episode aired during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The song appears in the 2019 Max Martin jukebox musical & Juliet . The song appears in Act 1, where it is performed by Angelique and Lance.
Weekly charts | Year-end charts
Decade-end charts
|
Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
---|---|---|
Australia (ARIA) [132] | 6× Platinum | 420,000‡ |
Brazil (Pro-Música Brasil) [133] | Diamond | 250,000‡ |
Canada (Music Canada) [134] | 4× Platinum | 320,000‡ |
Germany (BVMI) [135] | Platinum | 400,000‡ |
Italy (FIMI) [136] | 2× Platinum | 100,000‡ |
Japan (RIAJ) [137] | Platinum | 250,000* |
Netherlands (NVPI) [138] | 2× Platinum | 60,000^ |
New Zealand (RMNZ) [139] | Gold | 7,500* |
Norway (IFPI Norway) [140] | 4× Platinum | 240,000‡ |
Portugal (AFP) [141] | Gold | 5,000‡ |
Spain (PROMUSICAE) [142] | Platinum | 40,000‡ |
Sweden (GLF) [143] | 4× Platinum | 160,000‡ |
Switzerland (IFPI Switzerland) [144] | Gold | 15,000‡ |
United Kingdom (BPI) [145] | Platinum | 600,000‡ |
United States (RIAA) [146] | 3× Platinum | 1,900,000 [32] |
Streaming | ||
Denmark (IFPI Danmark) [147] | Platinum | 2,600,000† |
Japan (RIAJ) [148] | Platinum | 100,000,000† |
Spain (PROMUSICAE) [149] | Platinum | 8,000,000† |
* Sales figures based on certification alone. |
Region | Date | Format(s) | Label | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|---|
United States | July 3, 2014 | Digital download | Republic | [150] |
France | July 4, 2014 | [151] | ||
Italy | [152] | |||
Japan | [153] | |||
United States | July 8, 2014 | [154] | ||
United Kingdom | August 6, 2014 | Digital download | [155] | |
Italy | September 26, 2014 | Radio airplay | Universal | [156] |
"Clarity" is a song by Russian-German DJ Zedd featuring the vocals of British singer Foxes. It was released on 14 November 2012 as the third single from the former's debut studio album of the same name. The song was written by Anton Zaslavski, Matthew Koma, Porter Robinson and Skylar Grey and produced by Zedd. It was released as iTunes Single of the Week on 2 October 2012, and as an 4-track remix EP on 12 February 2013, by Interscope Records. Zedd released an extended mix of the song exclusively on Beatport on 18 February 2018.
The discography of American singer, songwriter, and actress Ariana Grande consists of seven studio albums, two compilation albums, one live album, two extended plays (EPs), fifty-four singles, and fifteen promotional singles. Throughout her career thus far, Grande has sold over 90 million records worldwide, making her one of the best-selling music artists of all time. According to the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), she has sold over 100 million units, across albums, singles, and features, and 10 million albums and 73.5 million digital singles units as a lead artist. In the U.S., Grande has moved 22.4 million album units, and garnered over 23.6 billion streams across lead artist credits, according to Luminate. Having amassed over 105 billion consumed streams thus far, Grande is the most streamed female artist ever. She is also the most streamed female artist of the 2010s on Spotify and Apple Music. She has amassed 73 chart entries on the Billboard Hot 100—the fourth most entries for a female artist—including eight number ones and 21 top-10 hits altogether so far. Grande was named the sixth top female artist of the 2010s decade, and was ranked among Billboard's Greatest of All Time Hot 100 Artists, at number 78. Grande is also one of the most certified female artists in the UK, with nearly 25 million units.
"Stay the Night" is a song by Russian-German electronic dance music producer Zedd, from the deluxe edition (2013) of his debut studio album, Clarity (2012). It features vocals from Hayley Williams, the lead singer of American rock group Paramore. The song was written by Zedd, Williams, Benjamin Eli Hanna, and Carah Faye, and produced by Zedd. "Stay the Night" was released to digital retailers on September 10, 2013, by Interscope Records as the lead single off the deluxe edition of Clarity, and the fourth overall single from the album.
"Problem" is a song by American singer Ariana Grande, featuring Australian rapper Iggy Azalea. It was released by Republic Records on April 28, 2014 as the lead single from Grande's second studio album, My Everything (2014). It was written by both alongside Savan Kotecha, Ilya and Max Martin, being produced by the latter two with Shellback, with Peter Carlsson serving as a vocal producer. "Problem" is an uptempo dance-pop and R&B song with influences of funk music, which comprises a melody based on drums, saxophone loops, and trumpets. The chorus features uncredited background vocals from American hip-hop artist Big Sean. Lyrically, Grande has stated that the song is about "the feeling of being absolutely terrified to re-approach a relationship that's gone sour – but you want to more than anything."
Russian-born German DJ Zedd has released two studio albums, one compilation album, 13 music videos, three extended plays, 37 singles and 30 remixes.
My Everything is the second studio album by American singer Ariana Grande, released on August 22, 2014, by Republic Records. In the album's production, Grande worked with a host of producers and co-writers, including Max Martin, Shellback, Benny Blanco, Ryan Tedder, Darkchild, Ilya Salmanzadeh, Zedd, and David Guetta.
"Bang Bang" is a song by English singer and songwriter Jessie J, American singer and songwriter Ariana Grande and rapper Nicki Minaj. It was released by Lava and Republic Records on 28 July 2014 as the lead single from Jessie J's third studio album, Sweet Talker (2014). The song was written by Max Martin, Savan Kotecha, Rickard Göransson, Grande and Minaj. It was produced by Martin, Göransson, and Ilya, with Kuk Harrell serving as a vocal producer. It is also included on the deluxe version of Grande's second studio album My Everything (2014), serving as the third single from that album.
"Best Mistake" is a song by American recording artist Ariana Grande that features American hip hop recording artist Big Sean. The song served as a promotional single from Grande's second studio album, My Everything (2014), and was released at midnight on August 12, 2014. Written by Grande, Big Sean, and Key Wane with production being done by the latter, the song is a ballad with piano, string, and drum machine instrumentation that lyrically deals with a couple trying to decide on what their future, troubled relationship is going to be like.
"One Last Time" is a song by American singer Ariana Grande. It was released digitally by Republic Records on August 22, 2014 as the second promotional single from her second studio album, My Everything (2014). The song was sent to contemporary hit radio as the fifth and final single from the album on February 10, 2015. It was written by David Guetta, Savan Kotecha, Giorgio Tuinfort, Rami Yacoub, and Carl Falk. The song was produced by the latter two, with Tuinfort serving as a co-producer and Ilya serving both as a co-producer and vocal producer. A French version of the song featuring French singer Kendji Girac, alternatively titled "Attends-moi", was released on February 16, 2015, in France, Belgium and Switzerland. It is also included on the deluxe version of Girac's debut studio album Kendji (2015). An Italian version of the song featuring Italian rapper Fedez was released on May 26, 2015, only in Italy.
"Love Me Harder" is a song by the American singer Ariana Grande and the Canadian singer the Weeknd. It was released by Republic Records on September 30, 2014 as the fourth single from Grande's second studio album, My Everything (2014). It was written by the Weeknd, Max Martin, Savan Kotecha, Peter Svensson, Ali Payami and Belly. The song was produced by Payami and Peter Carlsson, with Svensson serving as a vocal producer. Sonically, "Love Me Harder" is a pop, synthwave, synth-pop, R&B ballad with a "throbbing, electro-heavy chorus", a guitar riff and "big vacuum-esque synths". Lyrically, the song features double entendres about rough sex.
"I Want You to Know" is a song by German music producer Zedd, featuring vocals from American singer Selena Gomez from the former's second studio album, True Colors (2015). It was written by Zedd, OneRepublic's frontman Ryan Tedder, and KDrew. "I Want You to Know" was released on February 23, 2015 as the album's lead single and debuted on American contemporary hit radio on March 3, 2015, receiving generally positive reviews from music critics. It has charted within the top 10 in Finland, as well as the top 40 in fifteen additional countries. It has been certified platinum in the United States and Sweden. It won a Latin American Music Award for Favorite Dance Song in 2015. It is also featured in the video games Guitar Hero Live, Dance Dance Revolution A and NBA 2K16.
"Into You" is a song by American singer Ariana Grande. It was released on June 28, 2016 by Republic Records as the second single from her third studio album Dangerous Woman (2016). Grande co-wrote the song with Savan Kotecha, Alexander Kronlund, and its producers Max Martin and Ilya. The song was made available for digital download on May 6, 2016, via pre-order of the album, and was later serviced to US contemporary hit and rhythmic radio stations on June 28 as the album's second single. It is a dance-pop, house, electro, and EDM song that features a club beat, synths, and sharp clicks. The song is about Grande's desire for her partner to show more affection in their relationship. The song received widespread acclaim from music critics, who praised the production and the lyrics of the song.
"Side to Side" is a song by American singer Ariana Grande, featuring rapper Nicki Minaj. It was released on August 30, 2016 by Republic Records as the third single from Grande's third studio album Dangerous Woman (2016). Grande co-wrote the song with Savan Kotecha, Alexander Kronlund, and Minaj along with its producers Max Martin and Ilya. It is a reggae-pop song.
"Starving" is a song by American singer Hailee Steinfeld and American duo Grey, featuring Russian-German producer Zedd. The song was written by Grey members Michael Trewartha and Kyle Trewartha, Robert McCurdy, Christopher Petrosino, and Asia Whiteacre. It was released on July 22, 2016, through Republic Records and Universal Music Group. "Starving" is included on the Japanese edition of Steinfeld's debut extended play, Haiz (2015). It serves as the record's third and final single.
"Stay" is a song by Russian-German electronic music producer Zedd and Canadian singer Alessia Cara. The single was released on 23 February 2017 through Interscope Records, and is also featured on the Japanese edition of Cara's second studio album, The Pains of Growing. The official music video was released on YouTube on 18 April 2017.
"Heatstroke" is a song by Scottish DJ and record producer Calvin Harris featuring American rapper Young Thug, American musician Pharrell Williams, and American singer Ariana Grande. It is the second single from Harris's fifth studio album, Funk Wav Bounces Vol. 1 (2017). It was released on 31 March 2017 through Sony Music, following "Slide".
"Bed" is a song by rapper Nicki Minaj, featuring American singer Ariana Grande. It was released on June 14, 2018 by Young Money Entertainment and Cash Money Records as the second single from Minaj's fourth studio album Queen (2018). The song was produced by Ben Billions, Beats Bailey, Supa Dups, and Messy. It marks the fourth collaboration between Minaj and Grande. Commercially, the song peaked at number 42 on the US Billboard Hot 100, as well as reached the top 20 in Australia, Scotland, and the United Kingdom.
"Happy Now" is a song by German music producer Zedd and American singer Elley Duhé. Written by Noonie Bao, Sarah Aarons and its producers Zedd and Lotus IV, the song was released by Interscope Records on 18 July 2018.
"7 Rings" is a song by American singer Ariana Grande. It was released on January 18, 2019 by Republic Records as the second single from her fifth studio album Thank U, Next (2019). The song was written by Grande, Victoria Monét, Tayla Parx, Njomza, and Kaydence, alongside its producers Tommy Brown, Charles Anderson, and Michael Foster, with additional writing credits going to Rodgers and Hammerstein for an interpolation of their showtune "My Favorite Things" from The Sound of Music.
"Good as Hell" is a song recorded by the American singer and rapper Lizzo. Written by Lizzo and producer Ricky Reed, it was released on March 8, 2016, by Atlantic Records and Nice Life Recording Company as the lead single from her first extended play, Coconut Oil, and subsequently was the namesake for her 2017 Good as Hell Tour. It was re-released in 2019 as a radio single, when it became a sleeper hit like her first hit, "Truth Hurts". The song was later included as a bonus track on the super deluxe edition of her third studio album, Cuz I Love You (2019), alongside its remix.
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