Focus

Album: single release only (2015)
Charted: 10 7
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • This horn-heavy song was penned by Ariana Grande with American songwriter Savan Kotecha and Swedish songsmiths Ilya and Peter Svensson. It was produced by Max Martin.

    Savan Kotecha, Ilya and Max Martin also co-wrote "Problem," the lead single from Grande's previous album My Everything, while former Cardigans guitarist previously contributed to another of the songstress' singles, "Love Me Harder."
  • The sassy song opens with Grande singing: "I know what I came to do, and that ain't gonna change." She explained in a video blog that the lyric has a very powerful meaning behind it. "What I came here to do in this world is not only to entertain but to love, to share, to listen, to improve, to learn, to share music, to share experience, to share feelings, to make people feel happy and empowered," the singer said.

    "To make people feel like they're not alone. Without using my voice to do those things I would feel empty," Grande continued.
  • The chorus finds Grande pleading multiple times, "Focus on me."

    "When I say 'focus on me' I'm not asking to be the center of attention. I'm not asking you to focus on my face or my clothes or my body or my singing voice," she explained. "By 'focus on me,' I literally mean focus on me. Focus on what I'm all about and what I believe in."

    "The more we focus on each other as people and not on what we look like, what we're wearing, our gender, our hairstyle, our sexuality, the color of our skin," Grande continued. "But focus on each other on a soul level. The more we realize how much we have in common, the more we listen to each other, the more one we become."
  • Jamie Foxx is the guy supplying the male vocals on the 'Focus on me' chorus.
  • The single cover art features Grande with lilac blonde hair. It was shot by celebrity videographer Alfredo Flores.
  • Hannah Lux Davis directed the song's video, which also features Grande with her new white colored hair. Davis had previously directed other music clips of Grande such as "Love Me Harder" and her joint single with Jessie J and Nicki Minaj, "Bang Bang."
  • This was originally intended to be the lead single from Dangerous Woman. However, the song was cut from the standard edition track listing, and only included as a bonus track on the Japanese edition of the album. The title track replaced it as the lead single.

Comments

Be the first to comment...

Editor's Picks

Five Rockers Who Rolled With The Devil

Five Rockers Who Rolled With The DevilSong Writing

Just how much did these monsters of rock dabble in the occult?

Joe Elliott of Def Leppard

Joe Elliott of Def LeppardSongwriter Interviews

The Def Leppard frontman talks about their "lamentable" hit he never thought of as a single, and why he's juiced by his Mott The Hoople cover band.

Grammar In Lyrics

Grammar In LyricsMusic Quiz

Lyrics don't always follow the rules of grammar. Can you spot the ones that don't?

Who Wrote That Song?

Who Wrote That Song?Music Quiz

Do you know who wrote Patti Smith's biggest hit? How about the Grease theme song? See if you can match the song to the writer.

Lip-Synch Rebels

Lip-Synch RebelsSong Writing

What happens when Kurt Cobain, Iron Maiden and Johnny Lydon are told to lip-synch? Some hilarious "performances."

Divided Souls: Musical Alter Egos

Divided Souls: Musical Alter EgosSong Writing

Long before Eminem, Justin Bieber and Nicki Minaj created alternate personas, David Bowie, Bono, Joni Mitchell and even Hank Williams took on characters.