Ariana Grande's 'Petal' Video Shows Singer Attacking Critics with Chainsaw
In the music video for her new single "Petal," Ariana Grande portrays a character who confronts dismissive executives with a chainsaw, symbolizing her response to criticism.
Ariana Grande's new music video for the title track of her album "Petal," released on July 31, depicts the singer as Pepper, an aspiring performer auditioning at a fictional talent agency. After receiving repeated negative evaluations from a panel of older male executives, the character returns in increasingly exaggerated outfits, only to be further derided. In the final scene, Grande's character pulls out a garden chainsaw and attacks the men, after which other women applaud. The video, shot in the vintage VistaVision format, ends by revealing the sequence as a performance within a movie, suggesting a commentary on the pursuit of approval.
The single follows Grande's earlier releases from the same album, including "Hate That I Made You Love Me," which topped the Billboard Hot 100. Grande is currently touring in support of the album, with recent stops in Montreal and upcoming shows in Chicago and a ten-night run at London's O2 Arena.
"You give off this feeling that is completely … what's the word? Inauthentic," one of the executives says in the video. "The way you used to be, I miss that," another adds.
The visual has been noted for its graphic imagery and its metaphorical portrayal of the artist's response to longstanding public and fan criticism.