Ariana Grande has credited her late ex-boyfriend Mac Miller with helping her find her sound at the start of her pop career.
The Thank U, Next singer and Wicked actress made a rare comment about the late rapper seven years after his death during a conversation at Chapman University in California for The Hollywood Reporter’s Awards Chatter podcast.
While reflecting on the early days of her music career, the 32-year-old noted that Miller helped her “do the brave thing” and make R&B-inspired pop songs.
She added that she wanted him to feature on 2013’s The Way, the lead single from her debut album Yours Truly, to thank him.
“That’s also a part of why I was so eager to ask (Miller) to be a part of it,” Grande said, according to a video posted on TikTok. “Not only because he was perfect for the song, but I also felt like I had him to thank for finding my sound.”
In addition to The Way, Grande and Miller also collaborated on his song, My Favorite Part, and a remix of her hit, Into You, which were both released in 2016.
Years after first working together, the stars went public with their relationship in 2016 and broke up in May 2018 after two years together.
Miller, real name Malcolm James McCormick, passed away from an accidental overdose of fentanyl, cocaine and alcohol several months later in September 2018 at the age of 26.
The current Golden Globe nominee has paid tribute to the Circles hitmaker many times over the years. Most notably, she name-dropped him alongside some other ex-boyfriends in her 2019 hit Thank U, Next, which features the lyrics, “Wish I could say ‘thank you’ to Malcolm, ’cause he was an angel.”
