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Ariana Grande has shared rare and emotional insight into how her late ex-boyfriend Mac Miller played a pivotal role in helping her step into her identity as an artist, encouraging her to move beyond her Nickelodeon image and embrace her authentic self.
Speaking on a Jan. 13 episode of The Hollywood Reporter's Awards Chatter podcast, recorded in December at Chapman University, the 32-year-old singer and actress opened up about the early stages of her music career while she was still starring on Sam & Cat. Reflecting on the making of her debut album Yours Truly, Grande revealed that Miller offered reassurance at a time when she was navigating a major transition.
"I've never talked about this, but actually Malcolm, whom you might know as Mac, encouraged me to be myself," Grande said. "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 added, "I never said that. But it was a great influence, I'm so very grateful for that."
Grande explained that Miller's encouragement extended beyond personal affirmation and into her creative direction. She said his influence was one of the reasons she invited him to feature on her breakout single, "The Way." "Not only because he was so perfect for the song, but I also felt like I had him to thank for finding my sound," she shared.
The pair first collaborated on "The Way" in 2013 and later confirmed their romantic relationship in 2016. They separated in 2018 due to demanding schedules. Miller died later that year, on Sept. 7, at age 26, from an accidental drug overdose.
In the years since his death, Grande has spoken sparingly but honestly about her grief. In a 2019 interview with Vogue, she said, "By no means was what we had perfect, but, like, f—k. He was the best person ever, and he didn't deserve the demons he had." She added, "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."
During the Awards Chatter conversation, Grande also reflected on the physical demands of balancing acting and music during her Nickelodeon years, recalling how she constantly altered her hair color between filming and performing. Today, she has fully returned to her natural brunette shade after spending three years blonde for her role as Glinda in Wicked, debuting the look publicly at the 2026 Critics Choice Awards on Jan. 4.
More than a decade after Yours Truly, Grande continues to honor Miller's legacy, most notably during the album's 10th anniversary in 2023, when the remastered "The Way" video closed with the words "Feat. Mac Miller" lingering on screen.
