Ariana Grande unveiled a brand new look and performed her new single “Focus” for the very first time at the American Music Awards.
The petite powerhouse took over the stage on Sunday night. Grande, 22, wowed everyone with her first performance of “Focus.” You may have noticed that Grande’s name has been trending on social media. Even celebrity blogger Perez Hilton called her performance the best one of Grande’s short lived career, so far. The pint size diva stepped out in a glittery cream bodysuit with an attached skirt and elbow-length gloves that she later removed.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=swmMAyJULUY
She also rocked a totally new hairstyle . Ariana’s hair wasn’t pulled back in a half-up, half-down hairstyle, a high ponytail, or side buns. In fact, she wore her hair down and curly. Ariana has previously credited her hair stylist, Daniel Chinchilla, for helping her bring her curls back to life. In September, the singer took to Instagram to show off her new curly hairstyle to her followers. Since then, Ariana has gone back to her signature updos, making fans wonder where the heck her curls went.
Ariana Grande released the music video for “Focus” on October 30, which quickly fell off the music charts. In the video, Ari rocks silver hair and some new-found confidence. But that was quickly overshadowed when fans compared the song to her previous song “Problem.” Both songs feature horns and a guy singing in the chorus. Ariana said that “Focus” is a transitional song that takes musical elements from her last album, Honeymoon , and leads up to her upcoming album, Moonlight , which is set for release in 2016.
During the nearly 45-day lead up to her new single, Ariana Grande released a video explaining the meaning behind the song.
“When I say focus on me, I’m not asking to be the center of attention. I’m not asking for you to focus on my clothes, or my face, or my body, or my singing voice. When I say focus on me, I literally mean focus on me; what I’m all about, what I believe in.”
Maybe Ariana Grande’s performance at the AMAs will help her struggling single. So far, listeners haven’t warmed up to “Focus” on the radio. According to a recent Mediabase/Critical Mass Media call out report , the song only earned a 40.8 percent positive score from survey listeners. In addition, it received a 40.4 percent negative score, and a net positive score of 0.3 percent.
Ariana’s new single is only a “favorite” song among 10.3 percent of listeners. Although the song is still new to listeners, the scores are still low. The familiarity level for “Focus” is only at 61.8 percent, and the score can improve thanks to Ariana’s performance and her dedicated fan base.
It also doesn’t help that Adele, another powerhouse singer, stole the popstar’s thunder just a week later when she released her first single “Hello” off her new album, 25 .
She didn’t hit the red carpet at the American Music Awards, but she did dazzle inside the event. Grande changed into a cute mini dress after her big performance. She wore a pink and black dress that featured floral embellishments and ruffle detail. Underneath the dress was a black lace skirt that showed off Grande’s legs. She paired her super hot look with black embellished stilettos. This time, she pulled her hair up into a top knot.
According to a report via the Hollywood Life , Ariana won an award for Favorite Female Artist. During her speech, she thanked her grandmother for her love and support. Ariana was nominated for two American Music Awards this year – Artist of the Year and Favorite Female Artist in Pop/Rock.
What are your thoughts on Ariana Grande’s performance at the 2015 American Music Awards? Does it make you love her new song? Share your thoughts below in the comments section.
[Photos by Kevin Winter/Getty Images]
