Ariana Grande is ready to take on the world all over again. The petite singer with the colossal voice released her latest album Positions to positive reviews in October 2020. Remarkably, it was her sixth studio album, a significant body of work already represented by someone so diminutive in stature you wonder how she can draw the energy for the extensive promoting and unrelenting touring, except, in 2020, there was none.
Even without all the face-to-face marketing and performing that truly propels an artist into the public’s consciousness, the 27-year-old singer and former Nickelodeon TV star proved she can add substance to her pop reverie, with a repeated sexual undercurrent to her music that continues to take her further into uncharted territory and away from her first incarnation. It’s all part of her accelerating maturity as a woman and her desire to bury her teen idol past.
As a result, she has become one of the most successful pop stars in the business, with annual earnings of over $40 million.
Grande has also alerted the public to her avowed feminist mindset while removing the stereotypical association that links the term with obstructive, man-detesting, embittered females of the species.
This is the kind of in-your-face mentality that defines Ariana Grande these days, and don’t expect it to go away.
STRIPLV: Your evolution has happened very much in the public eye. GRANDE: That’s true. When I started making music, I was about 17 or 18, and I’ve grown a lot as a person since. I think that really started with the album “Dangerous Woman.” I wanted that to prove to people the fact I was not afraid to say what I thought, that I was willing to take risks. Those risks have ended up earning good rewards, and I mean in the sense of becoming a credible artist. I’m so relieved at that – there are no guarantees in anything these days. STRIPLV: And yes, as you say, your music now, in 2020, reflects that risk-taking. GRANDE: Well, I sure hope so. My music is right where my head is now. It’s darker and more mature and a blend between the R&B songs and the pop stuff I’ve done in the past. It’s only natural that as you mature, you need to explore all the feelings and experiences that have changed you and hopefully given you greater insight into things. STRIPLV: Do you think you’ve evolved into the kind of artist you want to be? GRANDE: It’s an ongoing process, but I definitely closer to who I am than was the case with my previous albums. As I’ve grown older, I’m much more confident about who I am, and I’m not afraid to make decisions about my music and what I want to accomplish. And yes, I wanted it to be darker and a little sexier, but the main thing was being able to express myself more openly than I have before. I enjoy being provocative and sexy at times, and I want the music to convey that as well as a lot of other deeper emotions. STRIPLV: Who have been your role models or inspirations over the years? GRANDE: I always come back to Whitney Houston as being someone who had everything. When I did a cover of “I Will Always Love You” earlier this year, I felt a real connection to that record and to Whitney. I was born the year after that record came out, and it was a pivotal point in her career when she was truly at the top of her game, the biggest female star on the planet. The fact it went so badly wrong after that is so sad, but in a way, when someone leaves, it crystallizes the fame that they had. It’s something that can never be taken away, and no one will take away the contribution she made to the music world. STRIPLV: Her vocal range was incredible. GRANDE: It was, and I have tried to replicate it a few times, tried.
STRIPLV: You remain active in the fight against AIDS? GRANDE: It’s very important to talk to young people about HIV because it’s not discussed as much as it should be. Sure, there are medicines that allow people who have become infected to live longer, but there are too many people who aren’t aware of the dangers and are not practicing safe sex. A lot of young people are convinced that AIDS is no longer a problem, but that’s a false assumption. Around 30 million each year are affected, and for some, it is a death sentence. That’s why I want to be able to use my fame to help an important cause. I’m very proud that so many of my fans have become part of the campaign against AIDS have become mini-activists. They’re wonderful. STRIPLV: Do you remember the first live concerts you went to? GRANDE: I don’t remember exactly, but my mom tells me that I went to my first Broadway show when I was two years old, which was Beauty and the Beast. I remember going to see Celine Dion and Shakira as a young girl. My mom wanted to educate me musically because music was a big part of our home and has always meant so much to us. STRIPLV: You have a delicate yet intensely powerful voice. GRANDE: That’s true. I have to be careful because sometimes I get carried away, and I’ll strain my voice. Many years ago, I went to a doctor who asked me if I had been doing anything strange with my voice, and that’s when I figured out that I shouldn’t overdo things, but I have a lot of fun doing it. STRIPLV: How has your songwriting evolved? GRANDE: It’s something I have wanted to move forward and have done that. When you are an artist, there are so many incredible, beautiful records that get put in front of you. It can be bewildering and all too easy just to take someone else’s work and run with it. I think true satisfaction as an artist comes when you have had a hand in every part of the process, and that’s where I want to be, going forward. Being a producer on records was always very satisfying, but I always want to do more. STRIPLV: Surely, a lot of that is confidence? GRANDE: It is, and I am confident in my own ability, always. At least I am these days. STRIPLV: What do you mean? GRANDE: I think getting used to being in the spotlight is something people assume you do quite soon after becoming a recognized name, but it’s actually a process that takes time. Some days I feel kinda fine; others, I am fretting over a bad review or when someone has made a comment about my private life. In the past, that change of emotions was so new to me, and I really used to struggle to come to terms with it. I would spend hours upset, paralyzed with fear. As time goes on, you learn how to put criticism into compartments. It’s still there, and it still exists, but if I box it up and put that box away, then I can spend my time opening other boxes that are all about happiness, creativity, fun. That’s the way I see it. STRIPLV: You seem to have coped with lockdown well? GRANDE: It was a great time in which I could be creative without all the usual distractions. I think sometimes you don’t really just how many interruptions there are and just how much that can spoil your flow. I have come out the other side with my best work, and I’m sure a lot of other artists will be saying the same thing. The dream now is to be able to perform this work live, and we are all hoping that will happen sooner rather than later.