Ariana Grande - “Focus” (Official Video)

Ariana Grande had a huge pop-star breakout year last year, but she’s spent most of 2015 turning more of the tracks from her album My Everything into singles and casting aspersions upon donuts and candy corn. The last two months of this year are absolutely jammed with big-name pop records from people like Adele and Justin Bieber, so it’s impressive that Grande is suddenly dropping new music in such a crowded landscape and that she’s come back swinging. Late last night, Grande dropped her new single “Focus,” as well as its video, and it’s a good one. The song is deep and funky, with busy woodblocks-and-cowbells percussion and honking horns that remind me of Amerie and Rich Harrison’s collaborations. (Her 2014 summer jam “Problem” had some of the same elements, but this one hits those notes harder.) It also has a chorus that sounds like Fred Sanford yelling at you. Hannah Lux Davis directed the video, which shows off Grande’s glammy new bleached-hair look and treats her like a Bond girl.