Lea Michele is back with a new ballad.
"Love Is Alive" was released on iTunes, Spotify and Vevo at midnight. The song is the debut single off Michele's sophomore album, Places, slated for release this spring. The 30-year-old Scream Queens actress previewed the song in January at her concerts in L.A. and New York City.
Michele had been teasing "Love Is Alive" for weeks. "Oh my God. I can't believe it's FINALLY out. I'm so proud of this song.. it's so special to me. No matter what you go through in life.. love is a blessing and brings you so much joy," Michele tweeted Thursday. "I hope you all love this song and it's means as much to you as it does to me! #loveisalive. Let's get it trending. #loveisalive."
"When it came time to name my album, I settled on Places because this album for me represents a return to form, a return to the stage, and a return to the place I belong. When you perform on Broadway the word Places is the last thing you hear over the loudspeaker before a show is about to begin," Michele tells E! News in a statement. "Places I thought was the perfect title for this music and how it reflects who I am as an artist today and where I come from."
The singer previewed "Love Is Alive" for People Wednesday, calling it "such a special song."
Michele, who released her debut album Louder in 2014, explained, "I wanted a song on the album that represented where I am personally in my life right now, and this song is exactly that. [The song] is about believing in love and the power and beauty of love. It made me so happy while recording it, and I hope it brings the same light and joy to everyone else as it has for me."
As for Places, Michele told the magazine, "This album is really about coming back to my roots and the music and artists that inspired me growing up. Being that I grew up in New York and on Broadway, I wanted this video to be shot at a theater to give the illusion of coming back home."
Michele will perform "Love Is Alive" on CBS' The Late Late Show March 14.