"Breathin" is a song by American singer

Ariana Grande Ariana Grande-Butera ( ; born June 26, 1993) is an American singer, songwriter, and actress. Her four-octave vocal range has received critical acclaim, and her personal life has been the subject of widespread media attention. She has received ...

and the third, final single from her fourth studio album ''

Sweetener {{Wiktionary, sweetener A sweetener is a substance added to food or drink to impart the flavor of sweetness, either because it contains a type of sugar, or because it contains a sweet-tasting sugar substitute. Many artificial sweeteners have be ...

'' (2018). It was sent to

contemporary hit radio Contemporary hit radio (also known as CHR, contemporary hits, hit list, current hits, hit music, top 40, or pop radio) is a radio format that is common in many countries that focuses on playing current and recurrent popular music as determined by ...

stations in the United States on September 18, 2018. Produced by

Ilya Salmanzadeh Ilya Salmanzadeh (; born 19 September 1986 in Stockholm), known mononymously as ILYA, is a Swedish-Persian songwriter, producer and singer. He rose to prominence outside of Sweden after co-writing and producing Ariana Grande's " Problem" and Je ...

, "Breathin" is a

dance-pop Dance-pop is a popular music subgenre that originated in the late 1970s to early 1980s. It is generally uptempo music intended for nightclubs with the intention of being danceable but also suitable for contemporary hit radio. Developing from a ...

song that features synthesizers and an upbeat production incorporating disco and

EDM EDM or E-DM may refer to: Music * Electronic dance music * Early Day Miners, American band Science and technology * Electric dipole moment * Electrical discharge machining * Electronic distance measurement *Entry, Descent, and landing demonstra ...

elements. The lyrics discuss how breathing can alleviate

panic attacks Panic attacks are sudden periods of intense fear and discomfort that may include palpitations, sweating, chest pain or chest discomfort, shortness of breath, trembling, dizziness, numbness, confusion, or a feeling of impending doom or of losing ...

, based on Grande's experiences with

post-traumatic stress disorder Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a mental and behavioral disorder that can develop because of exposure to a traumatic event, such as sexual assault, warfare, traffic collisions, child abuse, domestic violence, or other threats on a ...

as a result of a terrorist bombing that killed 22 people in one of her concerts. Called a highlight of ''Sweetener'' by many music critics, "Breathin" was praised for its motivational approach to discussing anxiety. Commercially, the single reached number one in Iceland and Israel and the top forty in twenty-seven additional countries. Two

music videos A music video is a video of variable duration, that integrates a music song or a music album with imagery that is produced for promotional or musical artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a music marketing devi ...

for the song premiered in 2018. The first features Grande's pet piglet walking on a bed, intended as a comedic prelude to the "real" music video. Directed by

Hannah Lux Davis Hannah Lux Davis (born May 17, 1986) is an American music video, commercial and film director. She's known for her work especially with female artists, such as Ariana Grande, Katy Perry, Demi Lovato, Nicki Minaj, Miley Cyrus, Avril Lavigne, Christ ...

, the video in question depicts Grande in a train station as commuters rush past her, representing how people often feel disconnected from their surroundings during panic attacks.

Background

released her third studio album ''Dangerous Woman'' in 2016 to critical acclaim. It debuted at number two on the US ''Billboard'' 200 and was the 28th best-selling album of the year, with 900,000 copies sold worldwide. To support the album, Grande embarked on the

Dangerous Woman Tour The Dangerous Woman Tour was the third concert tour and the second arena tour by American singer Ariana Grande in support of her third studio album, '' Dangerous Woman'' (2016). It traveled across North America, Europe, Latin America, Asia and O ...

, which ran in 2017 and had four dates scheduled in the United Kingdom. During a concert in the

Manchester Arena Manchester Arena, currently referred to as the AO Arena for sponsorship reasons, is an indoor arena in Manchester, England, immediately north of the city centre and partly above Manchester Victoria station in air rights space. The arena has th ...

on May 22, a homemade bomb was detonated in a suicide terrorist attack, killing 22 concert-goers. After the bombing, Grande went through two highly publicized break-ups: one with rapper

Mac Miller Malcolm James McCormick (January 19, 1992 – September 7, 2018), known professionally as Mac Miller, was an American rapper and record producer. Miller began his career in Pittsburgh's hip hop scene in 2007, at the age of fifteen. In 2010, h ...

who died of an accidental overdose months later, and another with comedian

Pete Davidson Peter Michael Davidson (born November 16, 1993) is an American comedian and actor. He was a cast member of the NBC late-night sketch comedy series ''Saturday Night Live'' (SNL) for eight seasons, running from 2014 to 2022. Davidson's ...

. The Manchester Arena attack left Grande in a state of emotional turmoil, causing her to suffer from frequent symptoms of

. Her

anxiety Anxiety is an emotion which is characterized by an unpleasant state of inner turmoil Turmoil may refer to: * ''Turmoil'' (1984 video game), a 1984 video game released by Bug-Byte * ''Turmoil'' (2016 video game), a 2016 indie oil tycoon video ...

began manifesting through physical symptoms; Grande recalled being dizzy and unable to breathe properly once she returned home from tour. Due to her trauma, she took a hiatus from music, or what ''

NME ''New Musical Express'' (''NME'') is a British music, film, gaming, and culture website and brand. Founded as a newspaper in 1952, with the publication being referred to as a 'rock inkie', the NME would become a magazine that ended up as a f ...

'' called a "moment of professional and personal stasis". Breaking up with Miller exacerbated her mental health problems. After his death, she frequently spoke in interviews about memories of their relationship. ''Sweetener'', released in 2018, marked Grande's first album since the Manchester Arena attack. Work on the album had begun back in 2016, but Grande temporarily halted recording because she wanted to cope with the bombing's aftermath first: "it would be nice to really hold my loved ones close for a little while, stay home for a little bit." She revealed the tracklist for ''Sweetener'' on July 2018; the album contains "Breathin" as its seventh track. She teased the song's title during the music video for " No Tears Left to Cry", ''Sweetener''

lead single A lead single (also known as a debut single) is the first single to be released from a studio album by an artist or a band, usually before the album itself is released and also occasionally on the same day of the album's release date. Release ...

released a month prior. During her appearance on ''

The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon ''The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon'' is an American late-night talk show hosted by Jimmy Fallon that airs on NBC. The show premiered on February 17, 2014, and is produced by Broadway Video and Universal Television. It is the seventh in ...

'', Grande described "Breathin" as follows:

Recording and composition

Grande wrote "Breathin" with

Savan Kotecha Savan Harish Kotecha is an American songwriter and record producer from Austin, Texas. Kotecha is of Indian ( Gujarati) descent. He was also the executive music producer of the 2020 film '' Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga'', fo ...

Peter Svensson Anders Peter Svensson is a Swedish record producer, songwriter, and musician. He is the main songwriter and guitarist of the band the Cardigans. He started playing guitar at the age of eight, and in his teens he went on to play with local bands ...

, and its producer

. Her vocals were recorded by Sam Holland and Noah Passovoy at MXM Studios in

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California California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the ...

, and Wolf Cousins Studios in Stockholm, Sweden. Cory Bice and Jeremy Lertola provided recording engineer assistance.

Serban Ghenea Șerban Ghenea (born October 13, 1969) is a Grammy award-winning Romanian-Canadian audio engineer and mixer. Early life and education Ghenea was born in Bucharest, Romania in 1969. In 1976 he moved to Montreal with his family. He later attende ...

, assisted by John Hanes, mixed the song at MixStar Studios in

Virginia Beach, Virginia Virginia Beach is an independent city (United States), independent city located on the southeastern coast of the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Virginia in the United States. The population was 459,470 at the 2020 United States cen ...

. Randy Merrill then mastered the song at

Sterling Sound George Marino (April 15, 1947 – June 4, 2012) was an American mastering engineer known for working on albums by rock bands starting in the late 1960s. Biography Marino was born on April 15, 1947, in the New York City borough The Bronx. He at ...

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New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

. "Breathin" is a

song backed by synthesizers and

keytars The keytar is a lightweight synthesizer that is supported by a strap around the neck and shoulders, similar to the way a guitar is supported by a strap. Keytars allow players a greater range of movement onstage, compared to conventional keyboards ...

. It is 3 minutes and 18 seconds long. The song features an upbeat rhythm, incorporating disco and

elements into its production. It depicts Grande in the middle of a panic attack, and it features shifts in dynamics or volume to evoke the feeling of anxiety. The song opens with a voice recording played backwards—when reversed, it reads "Tonight's your special night, do something magical." The lyrics center around Grande's experiences with anxiety after going through the Manchester Arena attack. She describes the feeling in various ways: "Feel my blood runnin', swear the sky's falling / How do I know if this shit's fabricated?" As seen in one verse, Grande looks up to find "the whole room spinning" due to feeling drained of energy. In the

hook A hook is a tool consisting of a length of material, typically metal, that contains a portion that is curved or indented, such that it can be used to grab onto, connect, or otherwise attach itself onto another object. In a number of uses, one e ...

, which she performs with airy vocals, she sings "just keep breathin' and breathin' and breathin' and breathin, repeatedly reminding herself to stay grounded in reality. Some music journalists drew connections between the lyrical themes and how Grande's mental well-being had been impacted by her break-up with Miller and his subsequent death.

Critical reception

"Breathin" received critical acclaim from music critics. Jillian Mapes from ''

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'' said that Grande turned "the melancholy of

Drake Drake may refer to: Animals * A male duck People and fictional characters * Drake (surname), a list of people and fictional characters with the family name * Drake (given name), a list of people and fictional characters with the given name ...

into a meditation on anxiety with 'Breathin. Many music critics called "Breathin" a highlight of ''Sweetener''. They praised the song for its upbeat arrangement, as well as its approach to discussing anxiety, commending the personal lyrics and its advice to practice self-care. ''

Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner, and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. It was first known for its co ...

'' Ilana Kaplan highlighted the lushness of its production and the relatability of its depictions of panic, and she cited it as "one of Ariana's finest moments as an artist". Crystal Bell wrote for ''Teen Vogue'': Breathin' embodies so much of what makes the ''Sweetener'' era so impressive: It channels pain into perseverance. A pop star can't save you, but she can give you the soundtrack to save yourself."

Commercial performance

Uupon the release of ''Sweetener'', "Breathin" became a fan favorite and saw a relatively high increase in streams. It entered several charts worldwide due to strong digital sales. In the United States, the song debuted at number 22 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 issue dated September 1, 2018, earning Grande her fourteenth top-forty entry and marked the highest debut of nine entries from the album of which debuted on the Hot 100 the same week. The track sold 27,800 digital downloads in its opening week, allowing it to also enter the

Digital Songs The Digital Songs or Digital Song Sales chart (previously named Hot Digital Songs) ranks the best-selling digital songs in the United States, as compiled by Nielsen SoundScan and published by ''Billboard'' magazine. Although it originally starte ...

chart at number four. The following week, "Breathin" dropped fifteen positions to number 37 on the Hot 100. As radio airplay began to build, the track officially debuted at number 38 on the

Mainstream Top 40 Pop Airplay (also called Mainstream Top 40, Pop Songs, and Top 40/ CHR) is a 40-song music chart published weekly by ''Billboard'' Magazine that ranks the most popular songs of pop music being played on a panel of Top 40 radio stations in the Un ...

. Consequently, Grande became the first female soloist to place three entires in the top forty of the Pop Songs chart that week since

Lady Gaga Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta ( ; born March 28, 1986), known professionally as Lady Gaga, is an American singer, songwriter, and actress. She is known for her image reinventions and musical versatility. Gaga began performing as a teenag ...

did so in 2010. The song fluctuated on the Hot 100 for several weeks, and climbed from number 41 to 32 in its tenth week, jumping to number 21 the week after, overcoming its debut position of number 22. It reached a peak of number 12, and spent 25 weeks on the chart. "Breathin" entered the ''Billboard''

at number 38 for the chart issue dated September 18, 2018, and moved up to number 34 the following week. The song has since climbed up to number two, earning Grande her ninth top-five single there and third from ''Sweetener''. On the ''Billboard''

Dance Club Songs Dance Club Songs is a chart published weekly by ''Billboard'' magazine in the United States. It is a national look over of club disc jockeys to determine the most popular songs being played in nightclubs across the country. It was launched as ...

, "Breathin" debuted at number 43 on the issue dated October 27, 2018, rising to number 27 in its second frame. The song reached the top spot in its seventh week on the chart, marking her third consecutive chart-topper and fourth overall. Internationally, "Breathin" reached number one in Iceland and Israel. The song debuted at number eight as the highest entry of the week on both the Australian

ARIA Charts The ARIA Charts are the main Australian music sales charts, issued weekly by the Australian Recording Industry Association. The charts are a record of the highest selling songs and albums in various genres in Australia. ARIA became the offic ...

and the

UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart (currently titled Official Singles Chart, with the upper section more commonly known as the Official UK Top 40) is compiled by the Official Charts Company (OCC), on behalf of the British record industry, listing the top-s ...

, becoming her eighth top-ten single in both countries. The song has also reached the top-ten in the Czech Republic, Ireland, Hungary, Lebanon, Portugal and Slovakia, as well as reached the top-twenty in Austria, Canada, Denmark, Finland, New Zealand, Norway, Scotland, Sweden, and Switzerland. On March 17, software company Calm announced that Grande would be included in the "Sleep Remix Series" for their meditation app, alongside other artists, such as

Shawn Mendes Shawn Peter Raul Mendes (; born August 8, 1998) is a Canadian pop singer. He gained a following in 2013, when he posted song covers on the video sharing platform Vine. The following year, he caught the attention of artist manager Andrew Gert ...

and

Kacey Musgraves Kacey Lee Musgraves (born August 21, 1988) is an American country singer. She has won six Grammy Awards, seven Country Music Association Awards, and three Academy of Country Music Awards. Musgraves self-released three solo albums and one as Tex ...

. The following Friday, they released an hour-long remix of "Breathin" to Calm subscribers, which they described as "ethereal".

Live performances

Grande debuted the song live at The Sweetener Sessions. Grande also performed the song along with her single "

Thank U, Next ''Thank U, Next'' is the fifth studio album by American singer Ariana Grande, released on February 8, 2019, by Republic Records. It was released six months after her fourth studio album ''Sweetener'' (2018), conceived in the midst of Grande's ...

" on ''

The Ellen DeGeneres Show ''The Ellen DeGeneres Show'' (often shortened to ''Ellen'' or ''The Ellen Show'') is an American daytime television variety comedy talk show that was created and hosted by its namesake Ellen DeGeneres. Debuting on September 8, 2003, it was pr ...

'' on November 7, 2018. Grande performed the song as part of her set at the 2019

Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival The Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival (commonly called the Coachella Festival or simply Coachella) is an annual music and arts festival held at the Empire Polo Club in Indio, California, in the Coachella Valley in the Colorado Desert. ...

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and

Manchester Pride Manchester Pride is a leading charity that campaigns for LGBTQ+ equality across the United Kingdom, predominantly in Greater Manchester. The Charity offers dialogue, training, research and policy analysis, advocacy and outreach activities fo ...

, as well as part of the regular setlist on her

Sweetener World Tour The Sweetener World Tour was the fourth concert tour and third arena tour by American singer, songwriter and actress Ariana Grande in support of her fourth and fifth studio albums, ''Sweetener'' (2018) and '' Thank U, Next'' (2019). Led by Live N ...

Music videos

Two music videos for the song were released. Grande released the first music video of the song on October 10, 2018, starring her pet piglet, Piggy Smallz, curiously approaching the camera and walking around on a bed with a plush cover. Grande shot the footage. Grande posted on Instagram that she hoped the video would make fans laugh while they await the "real" music video. Critics found the first video funny and endearing, calling Piggy Smallz cute. Grande later revealed more news on the status of the official music video on November 3, 2018, via her

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account, stating that it would be released alongside the lead single of her fifth studio album. The music video was eventually released on November 7, 2018, on her

YouTube YouTube is a global online video sharing and social media platform headquartered in San Bruno, California. It was launched on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim. It is owned by Google, and is the second most ...

account.

, who had worked on several of Grande's music videos in the past, directed the second music video for "Breathin". Filming took place within two weeks and had a

turnaround time Turnaround time (TAT) is the amount of time taken to complete a process or fulfill a request. The concept thus overlaps with lead time and can be contrasted with cycle time. Meaning in computing In computing, turnaround time is the total time t ...

of one day, much to Davis's astonishment since most of the scenes involved some form of special effects. The video opens with alternating shots of Grande in a dimly lit bar and in a bright room filled with fog. Clouds, a motif present in her past visual works, appear in several scenes, often obscuring Grande's vision. At some points, she appears with a cloud for a head. One scene near the end of the video depicts her riding a swing in the sky. Daniel Welsh of ''The Huffington Post'' thought this represented Grande's triumph over her anxiety. Multiple shots in the video depict Grande in a busy train station as commuters rush around her in a time lapse effect that makes them look blurry. It symbolizes how people often feel disconnected from their surroundings during panic attacks. Davis achieved this effect through

motion control photography Motion control photography is a technique used in still and motion photography that enables precise control of, and optionally also allows repetition of, camera movements. It can be used to facilitate special effects photography. The process c ...

, filming Grande at a slower

frame rate Frame rate (expressed in or FPS) is the frequency (rate) at which consecutive images ( frames) are captured or displayed. The term applies equally to film and video cameras, computer graphics, and motion capture systems. Frame rate may also ...

than the people walking past her. In one scene, Grande sits atop a pile of luggage, interpreted by Kathryn Lindsay of ''

Refinery29 Refinery29 (R29) is an American multinational digital media and entertainment website focused on young women. It is owned by Vice Media. History Justin Stefano, Philippe von Borries, Piera Gelardi, and Christene Barberich co-founded Refinery29 ...

'' as a metaphor for her mental health struggles, which include trauma from the Manchester Arena bombing, Miller's death, and her break-up with Davidson. In another, the camera focuses on a departure sign that includes the words "needy", "remember" and "imagine", which many viewers thought was an Easter egg teasing the tracklist for Grande's next studio album, ''Thank U, Next'' (2019).

Credits and personnel

Credits and personnel adapted from the liner notes of ''Sweetener''.

Recording and management

* Recorded at MXM Studios (

) and Wolf Cousins Studios ( Stockholm, Sweden) * Mixed at MixStar Studios (

) * Mastered at Sterling Sound (

) * Published by Universal Music Group Corp./Grand AriMusic (

ASCAP The American Society of Composers, Authors, and Publishers (ASCAP) () is an American not-for-profit performance-rights organization (PRO) that collectively licenses the public performance rights of its members' musical works to venues, broadca ...

), Wolf Cousins, Warner/Chappell Music Scandinavia (

STIM STIM, ''Svenska Tonsättares Internationella Musikbyrå'' (Swedish Performing Rights Society), is a Swedish collecting society for songwriters, composers and music publisher. Its role is to act as an agent for its members in order to collect lic ...

) and MXM (ASCAP) — administered by Kobalt (ASCAP)

Personnel

– vocals,

songwriting A songwriter is a musician who professionally composes musical compositions or writes lyrics for songs, or both. The writer of the music for a song can be called a composer, although this term tends to be used mainly in the classical music ...

, vocal production *Ilya – songwriting,

production Production may refer to: Economics and business * Production (economics) * Production, the act of manufacturing goods * Production, in the outline of industrial organization, the act of making products (goods and services) * Production as a stati ...

, backing vocals, keyboards, bass, drums, guitar, programming *

– songwriting *

Max Martin Karl Martin Sandberg (; born 26 February 1971),Max Martin
allmusic.com known profess ...

– keyboards *Sam Holland –

recording A record, recording or records may refer to: An item or collection of data Computing * Record (computer science), a data structure ** Record, or row (database), a set of fields in a database related to one entity ** Boot sector or boot record, r ...

*Noah Passovoy – recording *Cory Bice – recording engineer assistance *Jeremy Lertola – recording engineer assistance *

– mixing *John Hanes – mixing assistance *Randy Merrill – mastering

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Certifications

Release history

Notes

References

{{authority control 2018 singles 2018 songs Ariana Grande songs Dance-pop songs Music videos directed by Hannah Lux Davis Number-one singles in Iceland Number-one singles in Israel Song recordings produced by Ilya Salmanzadeh Songs about diseases and disorders Songs written by Ariana Grande Songs written by Ilya Salmanzadeh Songs written by Peter Svensson Songs written by Savan Kotecha Republic Records singles