Montreal, Canada – Ariana Grande shocked fans in Montreal by performing petal, the title track from her upcoming eighth studio album, live for the first time on Tuesday night.
The 33-year-old pop star brought the unreleased song to the stage at Montreal’s Centre Bell on July 28 as part of her Eternal Sunshine Tour, giving concertgoers an early taste of the album just three days before its release on Friday.
Excitement had already been building earlier in the day, as fans gathered outside the venue and allegedly caught Ariana rehearsing the track during soundcheck.
The petal era has introduced Pepper, a fictional alter-ego the singer has been building throughout her album rollout.
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The character is an aspiring performer facing auditions, rejection, and self-doubt, but she refuses to abandon her ambitions.
Pepper has become the visual centerpiece of the campaign, showing up across teasers for the song’s upcoming music video, directed by Christian Breslauer and shot in cinematic black-and-white VistaVision.
The most recent teaser shows Pepper introducing herself at a chaotic audition, feeding into fan theories that the video pokes fun at the entertainment industry’s endless hunt for its next big star.
Montreal got more than one surprise that night, as Ariana also broke out an a cappella version of worst behavior – a track she hadn’t previously performed live on tour.
The upcoming album has already racked up more than three million Spotify pre-saves, while the lead single hate that i made you love me debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100.
