Ariana Grande is officially back in music mode, but not everyone is loving her latest release. The pop superstar dropped “Hate That I Made You Love Me” late Thursday night, marking the first taste of her upcoming album “Petal.” While Grande called the track one of her “favorite songs” she’s ever written, some fans quickly flooded social media with harsh reactions, calling the song “boring,” “mid,” and even questioning whether AI had a hand in creating it.

Ariana Grande Returns To Music With ‘Hate That I Made You Love Me’

Grande officially launched her latest music era by releasing “Hate That I Made You Love Me,” the lead single from her upcoming album, “Petal,” due out July 31. The release marks Ariana’s first major musical rollout since 2024’s “Eternal Sunshine,” which arrived amid intense public attention surrounding her personal life and relationship with boyfriend Ethan Slater, whom she met while filming Wicked.

In recent years, Grande has shifted much of her focus toward acting, earning praise for portraying Glinda in “Wicked” and its follow-up film, “Wicked: For Good.” Still, fans were eager to see what Grande had in store as she returned to the studio.

Fans Didn’t Hold Back Their Reactions

Unfortunately for Ariana, not everyone was impressed. Shortly after the single dropped, social media lit up with mixed, and at times brutal, reactions from disappointed listeners.

“The song is so boring,” one user said, while some fans admitted they expected more from the lead single of Ariana’s eighth studio album. “Kinda underwhelming tbh especially for a lead,” one fan shared, while another described the track as “kinda mid.”

Others were even harsher. “Omg what possessed her to choose this as a lead.. it sounds ai generated,” one user wrote as more fans compared the single to material from “Eternal Sunshine,” arguing that it didn’t feel like a fresh era for the singer. “So disappointed. Nothing new, it could literally fit in the ‘Eternal Sunshine’ album,” another fan shared.

Not everyone hated the new single, however. While some listeners slammed the track online, others rushed to Ariana’s defense and praised the singer’s long-awaited return to music.

“The voice of an angel is back with the gift of a beautiful song for us!” one supporter wrote. “your voice… i missed you so much,” another fan commented, while others called the single “literally the best song ever” and declared it “PERFECTION.”

Ariana Grande Previously Called The Song One Of Her ‘Favorites’

Grande first announced “Hate That I Made You Love Me” on May 8 via Instagram, telling fans the track was deeply personal to her. Calling it “one of my favorite songs i’ll ever write,” Ariana revealed it was created alongside longtime collaborators ILYA and Max Martin.

“Produced by my favorite collaborators and dearest human beings in the world, the brilliant @ilya_music, the one and only max martin (and me),” she wrote. “I simply cannot wait for it to be yours.”

Later in the month, Grande teased the release with snippets of the instrumental backing track before unveiling the song in full.

Grande’s Music Video Features A Familiar Face

Ahead of the music video’s release on Monday, Grande teased fans with a short clip featuring actor Justin Long. In the preview, Long is seen driving before nervously glancing in his rearview mirror, only to find Ariana sitting in the backseat staring at him.

The casting continues Ariana’s recent tradition of recruiting recognizable Hollywood faces for her visuals. Penn Badgley previously starred in the video for “The Boy Is Mine,” while Evan Peters appeared in “We Can’t Be Friends.” Over the years, Grande has also recruited stars like Charles Melton and Jonathan Bennett for some of her biggest music video moments.

Ariana Grande Has Built An Award-Winning Career

While her latest single may have sparked mixed reactions online, Ariana’s music career has long been backed by major success. Over the years, Grande has earned three Grammy Awards, multiple Billboard Music Awards, MTV Video Music Awards, and American Music Awards, cementing herself as one of pop music’s biggest names.

She has also landed dozens of chart-topping hits, including songs like “Thank U, Next,” “7 Rings,” “No Tears Left To Cry,” and “Positions.”