Produced by Ilya Salmanzadeh, "Breathin" is a dance-pop and electro-R&B song that features synthesizers and an upbeat production incorporating disco and EDM elements.

Directed by Hannah Lux Davis, the video in question depicts Grande in a train station as commuters rush past her, representing how people often feel disconnected from their surroundings during panic attacks.

[5][6] After the bombing, Grande went through two highly publicized break-ups: one with rapper Mac Miller who died of an accidental overdose months later,[7] and another with comedian Pete Davidson.

[8] The Manchester Arena attack left Grande in a state of emotional turmoil, causing her to suffer from frequent symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder.

[9][10] Her anxiety began manifesting through physical symptoms; Grande recalled being dizzy and unable to breathe properly once she returned home from tour.

[15] Work on the album had begun back in 2016, but Grande temporarily halted recording because she wanted to cope with the bombing's aftermath first: "it would be nice to really hold my loved ones close for a little while, stay home for a little bit.

[17] She teased the song's title during the music video for "No Tears Left to Cry", Sweetener's lead single released a month prior.

[31] Some music journalists drew connections between the lyrical themes and how Grande's mental well-being had been impacted by her break-up with Miller and his subsequent death.

They praised the song for its upbeat arrangement,[12][15][32] as well as its approach to discussing anxiety, commending the personal lyrics and its advice to practice self-care.

[35][36] Rolling Stone's Ilana Kaplan highlighted the lushness of its production and the relatability of its depictions of panic, and she cited it as "one of Ariana's finest moments as an artist".

Consequently, Grande became the first female soloist to place three entires in the top forty of the Pop Songs chart that week since Lady Gaga did so in 2010.

On March 17, software company Calm announced that Grande would be included in the "Sleep Remix Series" for their meditation app, alongside other artists, such as Shawn Mendes and Kacey Musgraves.

Grande released the first music video of the song on October 10, 2018, starring her pet piglet, Piggy Smallz, curiously approaching the camera and walking around on a bed with a plush cover.

[39][55][56] Grande later revealed more news on the status of the official music video on November 3, 2018, via her Twitter account, stating that it would be released alongside the lead single of her fifth studio album.

[note 1] Filming took place within two weeks and had a turnaround time of one day, much to Davis's astonishment since most of the scenes involved some form of special effects.

[63] Multiple shots in the video depict Grande in a busy train station as commuters rush around her in a time lapse effect that makes them look blurry.

Davis achieved this effect through motion control photography, filming Grande at a slower frame rate than the people walking past her.

[59] In one scene, Grande sits atop a pile of luggage, interpreted by Kathryn Lindsay of Refinery29 as a metaphor for her mental health struggles, which include trauma from the Manchester Arena bombing, Miller's death, and her break-up with Davidson.

[65] In another, the camera focuses on a departure sign that includes the words "needy", "remember" and "imagine", which many viewers thought was an Easter egg teasing the tracklist for Grande's next studio album, Thank U, Next (2019).