Just days before what would have been Mac Miller’s 34th birthday, Ariana Grande opened up about the late rapper’s influence on her career and her artistry.
Grande, 32, who dated Miller from 2016 to 2018, reflected on his impact during the Jan. 13 episode of “Awards Chatter” podcast by The Hollywood Reporter.
“My debut album took some time to figure out, because there was also a strange presence from Nickelodeon in my head at the beginning of, like, what should this project be?” she said about her 2013 LP, Yours Truly.
“I’ve never talked about this, but actually Malcolm – who you might know as Mac – encouraged me to be myself, and that it was OK to kind of shed that character and embrace my brown hair and make R&B-influenced pop music and separate and do the brave thing,” she continued. “It was a great influence. I’m very thankful for that.”
Before their personal relationship began, Miller collaborated with Grande on her breakout single, “The Way.”
“That’s also why I was so eager to ask him to be a part of it, not only because he was perfect for the song, but I also felt like I had him to thank for finding my sound,” Grande said.
Yours Truly debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 and included hits like “The Way,” “Baby I” and “Right There” featuring Big Sean. Over the years, Grande has earned two Grammy Awards, including for her 2018 album Sweetener.
Miller, whose real name was Malcolm McCormick, tragically passed away at age 26 on Sept. 7, 2018, from an accidental overdose involving fentanyl, cocaine, and alcohol. Just a month before his death, he released his fifth studio album, Swimming.
In 2019, three men were convicted for distributing the drugs that contributed to Miller’s fatal overdose. Reflecting on their relationship, Grande told Vogue, “By no means was what we had perfect, but, like, f***. He was the best person ever, and he didn’t deserve the demons he had. I was the glue for such a long time, and I found myself becoming…less and less sticky. The pieces just started to float away.”
