# Kiss Me (Ariana Grande song)
**"Kiss me"** (stylized in all lowercase) is a song by the American singer [Ariana Grande](https://www.edgepedia.org/ariana-grande) (born 1993) that opens her eighth studio album, *petal*, released on July 31, 2026 through Babydoll Music and [Republic Records](https://www.edgepedia.org/republic-records).[1](https://www.universalmusic.ca/2026/07/31/ariana-grande-releases-her-eighth-studio-album-petal-out-now/) Grande wrote and produced the track with the Swedish producer Ilya Salmanzadeh, and it runs 3 minutes and 39 seconds.[2](https://musicbrainz.org/release/29dcf4d0-196a-412d-8e0e-badd4cf478cb) • [3](https://www.albumoftheyear.org/song/1205908-kiss-me/3/) Critics singled it out among the album's most precise songs, and [Billboard](https://www.edgepedia.org/billboard-magazine) described it as a delicate opener that builds into an explosive pop hook.[4](https://chorus.reviews/albums/ariana-grande-petal) • [5](https://darkmode.wppool.dev/www.billboard.com/lists/ariana-grande-petal-songs-ranked-album-review/like-i-do-2/)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Artist / album | Ariana Grande, track 1 of *petal*, her eighth studio album[1](https://www.universalmusic.ca/2026/07/31/ariana-grande-releases-her-eighth-studio-album-petal-out-now/) |
| Release | July 31, 2026, Babydoll Music / Republic Records[1](https://www.universalmusic.ca/2026/07/31/ariana-grande-releases-her-eighth-studio-album-petal-out-now/) |
| Writers and producers | Ariana Grande and Ilya Salmanzadeh (composer, lyricist, producer, programmer, mixer)[2](https://musicbrainz.org/release/29dcf4d0-196a-412d-8e0e-badd4cf478cb) |
| Length | 3:39[3](https://www.albumoftheyear.org/song/1205908-kiss-me/3/) |
| Instrumentation | Ilya plays bass, drums, guitars, and keyboards; Randy Merrill mastered the track[2](https://musicbrainz.org/release/29dcf4d0-196a-412d-8e0e-badd4cf478cb) |
| Billboard Hot 100 | Number 21 (chart dated August 15, 2026), then number 74 (August 22, 2026)[2](https://musicbrainz.org/release/29dcf4d0-196a-412d-8e0e-badd4cf478cb) |
| Audience score | 81/100 on Album of the Year, from 2,792 user ratings[3](https://www.albumoftheyear.org/song/1205908-kiss-me/3/) |
## Background and release
*Petal* was announced in April 2026 as Grande's first album since 2024's *Eternal Sunshine*, with Grande and Ilya executive producing and co-writing the record and [Max Martin](https://www.edgepedia.org/max-martin) joining as co-writer and producer on three tracks.[6](https://pitchfork.com/news/ariana-grande-announces-new-album-petal/) • [1](https://www.universalmusic.ca/2026/07/31/ariana-grande-releases-her-eighth-studio-album-petal-out-now/) The track list, beginning with "kiss me" and closing with "nowhere, nobody", was revealed in June 2026 during Grande's concert at the [Kia Forum](https://www.edgepedia.org/kia-forum) in Inglewood, and the Spanish outlet LOS40 read the sequencing as an arc running from romanticism to heartbreak.[7](https://los40.com/2026/06/22/el-secreto-mejor-guardado-de-petal-de-ariana-grande-se-ha-desvelado-este-es-su-listado-de-canciones/) The album arrived on July 31, 2026, while Grande was on her Eternal Sunshine Tour, her first global tour in more than seven years.[1](https://www.universalmusic.ca/2026/07/31/ariana-grande-releases-her-eighth-studio-album-petal-out-now/)
## Composition and production
**Sound.** Billboard's track ranking describes "Kiss Me" as built on delicate, gauzy synths that steadily build into an explosive pop hook, with a melody slightly reminiscent of "Bye", a fan-favorite track from *Eternal Sunshine*.[5](https://darkmode.wppool.dev/www.billboard.com/lists/ariana-grande-petal-songs-ranked-album-review/like-i-do-2/) The review quotes the chorus: "Kiss me like you know this is goodbye / We could try to make it all the way up / Grab me like my life is on the line", sung over Ilya's upbeat combination of drums, bass, guitars, and keys.[5](https://darkmode.wppool.dev/www.billboard.com/lists/ariana-grande-petal-songs-ranked-album-review/like-i-do-2/) The Attitude critic Jamie Tabberer heard a "shimmering, cascading beauty" that is interrupted partway through by a strange chittering sound, like the onset of intrusive thoughts, before the music returns with what he called startling bombast.[8](https://www.attitude.co.uk/culture/ariana-grande-petal-review-attitude-2026-530188/)
**Recording.** According to the [MusicBrainz](https://www.edgepedia.org/musicbrainz) credits, the song was recorded at GODZILYA Studios in Los Angeles, Jungle City Studios in New York, and MXM Studios in both Stockholm and Los Angeles.[2](https://musicbrainz.org/release/29dcf4d0-196a-412d-8e0e-badd4cf478cb) Grande handled vocals, vocal production, engineering, and arranging, with Ilya as programmer, mixer, and instrumentalist; Lou Carrao and Juan Arguello served as engineers and Randy Merrill as mastering engineer.[9](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fUZVwTQF3LQ) • [2](https://musicbrainz.org/release/29dcf4d0-196a-412d-8e0e-badd4cf478cb)
## Interpretation
Reviewers read the song as a farewell addressed to a lover. Elle called it a "super romantic opener" whose placement before the angrier "Hate That I Made You Love Me" sets up the album's emotional trajectory.[10](https://www.elle.com/culture/music/a73301770/ariana-grande-petal-review/) Vogue's track-by-track reaction called it "a banger of a track" and suggested it would suit a summer fling that is fizzling out.[11](https://www.vogue.com/article/23-thoughts-i-had-listening-to-ariana-grande-petal) Art+ Magazine heard the song as making the most of something already ending, "but smiling anyway", and noted that its softness recalled the *Dangerous Woman* and *Yours Truly* eras without sounding like nostalgia.[12](https://artplus.squarespace.com/features/in-petal-ariana-grande-finds-grace-in-the-cracks)
## Reception
**Critical.** The review aggregator Chorus.Reviews computed a 67/100 consensus for *petal* across 17 professional reviews and noted that "kiss me" and "hate that i made you love me" were among the songs critics cited as showing Grande's precision.[4](https://chorus.reviews/albums/ariana-grande-petal) On Album of the Year, the song holds a user score of 81 based on 2,792 ratings.[3](https://www.albumoftheyear.org/song/1205908-kiss-me/3/)
**Charts.** MusicBrainz lists the song on the Billboard Hot 100 at number 21 for the chart dated August 15, 2026, falling to number 74 the following week.[2](https://musicbrainz.org/release/29dcf4d0-196a-412d-8e0e-badd4cf478cb) A Spanish Spotify chart tracker recorded the song on the US Spotify daily chart until it exited the list on August 15, 2026.[13](https://nvvexstudios.com/cancion/ariana-grande-kiss-me)
## Cultural use
In August 2026, the [American Heart Association](https://www.edgepedia.org/american-heart-association) added "Kiss Me" to its playlist of songs whose tempo suits hands-only CPR, which LOS40 reported as the newest addition to a list of more than 250 songs.[14](https://los40.com/2026/08/24/kiss-me-de-ariana-grande-y-otras-canciones-que-pueden-salvar-vidas-este-es-el-ritmo-perfecto-para-hacer-una-rcp/)
## References
1. [Ariana Grande Releases Her Eighth Studio Album petal Out Now, Universal Music Canada](https://www.universalmusic.ca/2026/07/31/ariana-grande-releases-her-eighth-studio-album-petal-out-now/)
2. [Release "petal" by Ariana Grande, MusicBrainz](https://musicbrainz.org/release/29dcf4d0-196a-412d-8e0e-badd4cf478cb)
3. [kiss me, Ariana Grande, Album of the Year](https://www.albumoftheyear.org/song/1205908-kiss-me/3/)
4. [petal, Ariana Grande, Chorus.Reviews](https://chorus.reviews/albums/ariana-grande-petal)
5. [Ariana Grande's 'Petal' Songs Ranked Worst to Best, Billboard](https://darkmode.wppool.dev/www.billboard.com/lists/ariana-grande-petal-songs-ranked-album-review/like-i-do-2/)
6. [Ariana Grande Announces New Album Petal, Pitchfork](https://pitchfork.com/news/ariana-grande-announces-new-album-petal/)
7. [El secreto mejor guardado de 'Petal' de Ariana Grande se ha desvelado, LOS40](https://los40.com/2026/06/22/el-secreto-mejor-guardado-de-petal-de-ariana-grande-se-ha-desvelado-este-es-su-listado-de-canciones/)
8. [Ariana Grande's petal review, Attitude](https://www.attitude.co.uk/culture/ariana-grande-petal-review-attitude-2026-530188/)
9. [kiss me (official audio), Ariana Grande, YouTube](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fUZVwTQF3LQ)
10. [Ariana Grande 'Petal' Album Review: Our Full Analysis, Elle](https://www.elle.com/culture/music/a73301770/ariana-grande-petal-review/)
11. [23 Thoughts I Had Listening to Ariana Grande's New Album Petal, Vogue](https://www.vogue.com/article/23-thoughts-i-had-listening-to-ariana-grande-petal)
12. [In 'petal', Ariana Grande finds grace in the cracks, Art+ Magazine](https://artplus.squarespace.com/features/in-petal-ariana-grande-finds-grace-in-the-cracks)
13. [kiss me de Ariana Grande, posición y trayectoria en charts, NVVEX Studios](https://nvvexstudios.com/cancion/ariana-grande-kiss-me)
14. ['Kiss Me' de Ariana Grande y otras canciones que pueden salvar vidas, LOS40](https://los40.com/2026/08/24/kiss-me-de-ariana-grande-y-otras-canciones-que-pueden-salvar-vidas-este-es-el-ritmo-perfecto-para-hacer-una-rcp/)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Music › Musical works and recordings › Compositions and songs › Pop, rock, and metal songs › Pop songs › Pop songs of the 2020s › 2024 and 2025 songs*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 11, 2026; Oct 15, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license