Grimes has been having a rough couple of weeks; earlier in the month, partner and multi-billionaire Elon Musk confirmed that the two had “semi-separated but still love each other, see each other frequently, and are on great terms.” Now, the alt-pop performer has shared a new song called “Love” that she says is “in response to all the privacy invasion, bad press, online hate and harassment by paparazzis I’ve experienced this week.”
Shared with a two-minute video of Grimes singing into the camera, “Love” is a layered, echoing track, tied together with slow-burning synths. The lyrics definitely take shots at various haters: “It f*cking sucks to be awake,” she sings, “Oh Lord, I pray my soul to take / Nobody understands because / Everything they hate / Is everything I love.”
This is the first time Grimes has seemed to address the separation and ensuing commentary. (If you spend any time on the internet at all, you’ll know that people have OPINIONS about her partnership with Musk, with whom she shares a baby.) The last time Grimes and Musk were seen together in public was at this year’s Met Gala; although Grimes walked the red carpet alone, the two later met up inside. Meanwhile, in a recent TikTok video, she tries to get baby X AE A-XII to say “mama,” and Musk’s voice can be heard in the clip, so it seems the two truly are on good terms as Musk says.
It’s also been about a year and a half since Grimes’ last album, 2020’s Miss Anthropocene, and she’s apparently just about done with her next one, which she told Vogue is “by far” her “greatest work.”
Check out Grimes’ “Love” above.