Whether you grew up watching her as Cat Valentine on Nickelodeon or spent your middle school days belting out “The Way” and “Problem,” there’s no doubt you know who Ariana Grande is. As Nicki Minaj said in “Side to Side,” “I’m the queen of rap, young Ariana run pop.” In addition to being a pop goddess, she’s also known for her iconic collabs with The Weeknd over the years — and we’re going to be getting a new one soon.
It’s been a while since the last time we got new music from Grande. Her last full-length release was in October 2020, when she dropped Positions. She’s still had an eventful life since then, though, with, her marriage to Dalton Gomez on May 15, 2021, her release of makeup company, r.e.m beauty, getting cast as Glinda in the upcoming film adaption of the Broadway musical Wicked, and being a guest judge on this year’s season of Rupaul’s Drag Race.
In a TikTok posted on Feb. 21 of her in the studio, Grande teased new music with text on the video, “Wrote and recorded a verse for my friend after a 14 hour day on set. This certain exception had to be made…” and captioned it with “🌟🌙.” Fans were already excited about the prospect of new music after going so long without it.
It didn’t take long for rapper The Weeknd to repost the TikTok on his social media, leading fans to believe that the two were working on a song together. More specifically, a remix of “Die For You,” which The Weeknd released back in 2016, which caused fans to become more excited because of their overlapping fanbases.
Finally, both The Weeknd and Grande confirmed the release by publishing identical posts on their Instagram with the “Die For You” remix single cover art, confirming in the captions that the song will drop on Feb. 23. Arianators, are you ready?!
Now, this isn’t the first time they have worked together. In 2014, he was featured on “Love Me Harder” which was on Grande’s album, My Everything, as well as being featured on the Positions track, “Off the Table.” They also did their first remix together in 2021 with the Weeknd’s song “Save Your Tears.” They performed “Save Your Tears” live at the 2021 iHeart Radio Music Awards, where we got to see their musical chemistry in action and just how well they work together.
Whether you’re a fan of Grande, The Weeknd or both of them, many people are anticipating this remix and ready to see this iconic duo release new music together after a couple of years. When you’re friends with people equally as talented as you, one of the best things you can do is to work together. 2023 is already looking like it’s going to be an iconic year for Grande and the“Die For You” remix is only the beginning of that.