After dropping what is obviously going to be the song of the summer (don’t @ me), “Rain On Me” featuring Ariana Grande , Lady Gaga has revealed in an interview with Apple Radio’s Zane Lowe the story behind collaborating with Ari, and how at one point, she was actually “too ashamed to hang out” with her.
ICYMI, Lady Gaga and Ariana Grande dropped a pop anthem last night called “Rain On Me”.
The queens of pop music did not hold back.
It’s everything I dreamed of and more.
The collaboration is just a snapshot of Lady Gaga’s upcoming album, *Chromatica*, set to be released on May 29th.
In a recent interview with Apple Radio’s Zane Lowe, she explained the full story behind “Rain On Me”, and how at one point she was actually “too ashamed to hang out” with Ariana Grande .
“It’s been a very difficult time for a lot of people, and we stopped the drop of the record and everything that we were doing because I really wanted to be more specific at one point,” she said.
“I wanted to do something to help the world, that was very focused .”
“And working with the World Health Organization and Global Citizen was a way for me to talk about kindness,” she continued.
“And the things that I believe in, in a very focused way, as opposed to a more abstract way, which for me, is what Chromatica is.”
She described her upcoming album as a “beautiful abstraction” of how she views the world.
“I can’t wait to dance with people to this music; I can’t wait to just go into any space with a whole bunch of people and blast this as loud as possible to show them how much I love them .”
She said that she hopes the album acts as an “inspiration for people that are in need of healing through happiness, through dance.”
As for her collaboration with Ariana specifically, she recalled it being a genuine team effort.
She revealed that she intentionally wanted the recording experience with Ariana to be unique and get her out of her shell.
“I said to her, “OK, now everything that you care about while you sing, I want you to forget it and just sing,” she explained .
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“And by the way, while you’re doing that, I’m going to dance in front of you,” she added.
“And she was like, ‘Oh my God. Oh my God, I can’t, I can’t. I don’t know. Oh my God. OK, OK.’ And then I did it and she sang, and she started to do things with her voice that was different .”
“And it was the joy of two artists going, ‘I see you.'”
She hinted that fans can expect to see Ariana show a very different side of herself in the upcoming music video for “Rain On Me” — which is what helped bridge a friendship between the two.
Gaga admitted that initially, she was having a difficult time opening up to Ariana.
“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,'” she recalled .
“And she was so persistent. She would try over and over again to be friends with me.”
Gaga explained that she was “ashamed” to spend time with Ari because she wasn’t in a great place mentally, and didn’t want to bring her down.
“And I was too ashamed to hang out with her because I didn’t want to project all of this negativity onto something that was healing and so beautiful.”
But thanks to Ariana’s persistence, Gaga was eventually able to open up.
And just like that, a friendship was born!
“And eventually she called me on my [expletive],” Gaga went on.
“She was, ‘You’re hiding.’ And I was … and then this friendship blossomed .”
Ariana and Lady Gaga’s friendship has only just begun and it’s already my favorite thing in pop culture.
So, there you have it! Lady Gaga and Ariana Grande are now friends and they are here to save pop music.
If you haven’t heard “Rain On Me” yet, please do yourself a favor and go listen to it rn.
It’s such a vibe.
(GETTY)
Are you excited for Lady Gaga’s upcoming album? What do you think of her collaboration with Ariana Grande and the story behind the song?
Let us know in the comments below!
Click here to read the full interview.
