Singer and actress Ariana Grande was met with a surprise this afternoon! The starlet posted videos of thousands of people in Pasig City singing her song "Break Free" on the streets. Dressed in pink, the crowd was also dancing and jumping up and down, while waving pink balloons and flags. The singer posted the videos on her Instagram Story, saying, "I could not believe this was real - I love you more than words."
Although one can see that the crowd are fans of Grande's work, they were all on the street not just to sing and dance to the catchy tune. They were also there to support Vice President Leni Robredo's arrival for her presidential campaign rally. The 2022 Philippine presidential elections are scheduled to be held on May 9, and she has had multiple Pink Sunday rallies for her campaign.
Several users on Twitter have reacted to this rally, including thousands of people from the Philippines. Most of the tweets are from people who are showing their love and support for the singer and support towards Robredo. There are also several tweets from people who were at the rally, posting their own videos as well.
This Isn't The First Time Her Music Was Used For Something That Wasn't Music Related
Many people remember the highly publicized Manchester Arena Bombing in 2017, while people were leaving Grande's concert. It resulted in the deaths of 23 people (including the bomber) and over 1,000 injured. Grande suspended her tour following the attack, and flew back to the United States to be with her family. One of the memorable photos of her taken after the attack was of her crying in the arms of her then-boyfriend Mac Miller as she got off the plane.
Grande organized the One Love Manchester benefit concert two weeks later, which took place in Manchester. Several musicians performed at the concert, including Coldplay, Miley Cyrus, and Robbie Williams. Grande also performed several songs throughout the show, including "Break Free." However, the singer decided to re-release her song "One Last Time," to which the proceeds would go to the relief fund. The song rose to number one on the iTunes Store, and stayed there for at least 48 hours. The total amount of money raised from her re-release, donations, and benefit concert was more than $17 million.
It's Common For Popular Songs To Be Used At Presidential Campaign Rallies
Several presidential and vice-presidential candidates worldwide have used songs when walking out to the crowd at their rallies. The U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris played New Radicals "You Get What You Give" at her rallies during the elections, leading to the band's one-hit-wonder becoming a top-five iTunes Store download for almost a week.
In response to this, New Radicals decided to perform their song during "Parade Across America" to celebrate the inauguration of President Joe Biden. It was the first time the band performed together in twenty years, and they have since not planned any more reunion performances or albums.
As of this publication, no other songs of Grande's have been used in any presidential or vice-presidential campaigns. However, it would come as no surprise if they were to be used in the United States one day. She has not spoken about another album, but she is busy being a judge on The Voice, and will portray Glinda in the upcoming film adaption of Wicked.
