the tragic deaths of Alton Sterling and Philando Castile earlier this week have made many artists stepping up to express their heartbreak, anger, and disbelief, but also intentions to initiate a dialogue. On Saturday, singer Victoria Monét released a new song in response to the recent violence, and she invited Ariana Grande to assist her on the track. The song is titled “Better Days” and it was previewed through a snippet which came along with a personal note from the singer:
“I’m heartbroken by all of the recent tragedies the came as a result of hatred, racism and injustice. 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!” she wrote. “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!”
Grande supported Monét with her own Instagram post, which included a message and a call for love and peace. She also offered her condolences to Sterling and Castile’s families, as well as the families of officers Brent Thompson, Patrick Zamarripa, Michael Krol, Michael Smith, and Lorne Ahrens, who were killed during an anti-police brutality demonstration in Dallas on Thursday.
During this challenging time, we have to remember that the only way we will progress is if the overruling force is #Love. “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.” 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. Stay strong and know that better days are coming… #BetterDays by Victoria + Ariana ..listen on @VictoriaMonet’s soundcloud ♩
Listen to “Better Days” above.