After this tragic week, which included the fatal police shootings of Alton Sterling in Louisiana and Philando Castile in Minnesota, along with the deaths of five police officers in Dallas, Ariana Grande has released a song in tribute to all those who have lost their lives.
Grande teamed up with Victoria Monét for a somber track called "Better Days," which pushes us all to look forward to a time when things are better. "We're all human, that's for certain," Grande sings. "Come together, we deserve it."
On Monét's Soundcloud, the two women wrote that they were "heartbroken" over the senseless violence of the past week, but felt that music is "a universal language that all of us can feel regardless of colour lines, gender, sexuality, age, race, religion…it unifies us."
The song was a way for Grande and Monét to tell their fans to be strong and not resort to hate, since they believe that it will never be the answer. "We believe we can not fight hate with hate, only love," they wrote. "Just as we can not fight darkness with more darkness. Only Light.”
"#BlackLivesMatter," the message continued. "To all of the lives taken pointlessly, we will not let you be forgotten. You have sparked change in this world with your angel wings. Rest In Peace."
On Instagram, Grande posted her own personal message about the song, writing, "Too many precious lives were taken from us this week, this month, this year."
Grande ended her post by writing a tribute to those we lost this week: "Rest in peace #AltonSterling. Rest in peace #PhilandoCastile. And the police that were peacefully guarding the #BlackLivesMatter rally in Dallas…rest in peace."