"Cruel" is a song by The Veronicas from their self-titled third studio album. It was written by The Veronicas twin sisters Jessica Origliasso and Lisa Origliasso, along with Rob Ellmore, Leah Haywood, Daniel James; production was handled by Dreamlab and Ruffian. The song was released as the third single from The Veronicas' third studio album and debuted on Australian radio on 21 January 2015.

"Cruel" was well received by critics who felt that it would be a radio hit. In Australia, "Cruel" debuted and peaked at number 53 on the Australian Singles Chart, becoming one of their lowest charting songs to date.

In 2013, The Veronicas members, Jessica Origliasso and Lisa Origliasso, parted ways with their then label Warner Bros. Records. This was due to the constant delays they experienced with the release of their third album (which was known as Life on Mars at the time). After signing with Sony Music Australia in 2014, the duo were given a cash advance and used it to buy back some of their songs from Warner Bros. Records. Speaking to Kathy McCabe of news.com.au they said,"we really fought for "Cruel", "Did You Miss Me", "Mad Love", "Cold" and "Born Bob Dylan", songs that we were so emotionally attached to, we couldn’t let go of." By 2014, The Veronicas released "You Ruin Me", their first single since "Lolita" which came out in 2012, as the lead single off their self-titled third studio album. "You Ruin Me" debuted atop the ARIA Singles Chart, becoming their second number-one hit in Australia since "Hook Me Up" in 2007, and was certified triple platinum by the Australian Record Industry Association (ARIA). A snippet of "Cruel" first appeared in the beginning of the accompanying music video for "You Ruin Me", which was directed by Matt Sharp and Tapehead. In an interview with Stephanie Anderson of BuzzFeed, Jessica hinted at the snippet of the song (the title of which was not revealed) as being the next single. However, "If You Love Someone" was serviced as the follow-up release instead.

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