Soulful-voiced, pint-sized, songbird-pop star Ariana Grande has been singing since the ripe old age of 14 however, the music industry was not yet ready to see her—or hear her [or what she had to sing about…just yet].
After taking some time out (backing off the music scene dream) Grande dabbled into the throes of acting and Nickelodeon on a show or two—all the while, preparing (and planning) for a career in music: there, by day and studio by night.
Now 21 years old, and two successful albums later; Ariana interviews with Marie Claire magazine where she opens up some pages of her life and shares with the world (who’s made her quite the household name) a little bit about herself in the issue of the magazine due out on newsstands September 16, 2014.
Before it all began so “Grande”:
“I was 14 years old and ready to make an R&B album. I was like, ‘Where is that Mary J. Blige collab? Where is that Natasha Bedingfield writing session? Where is my session with India.Arie? I’m ready. Let’s go.’ I wrote this song called ‘Higher,’ and the lyrics were too sexual, too mature. And my mom was like, ‘This is a great song, but damn, you’re too young for this.'”
On hiding behind her Nickelodeon character versus putting her self her own person forward:
“People liked her and they accepted her and they thought that I was like her. So I used to pretend to be a little more like her than I actually was.”
On her first single, “Put Your Hearts Up,” not doing to well:
“I was like, ‘Guys, there has to be a really distinct difference between me and my character.’ And we did that with ‘The Way.’ I dyed my hair back to brown. I made out with a rapper in the video. I made the point I wanted to make. And I was excited to do so after so many years of pretending to be somebody else in front of a lot of people.”
Growing up Italian:
“My grandparents were always playing cards or cooking or cursing about something, and my dad would be singing terrible, terrible Frank Sinatra karaoke, and I would always wear Halloween makeup or masks or costumes around the house.”
Being vegan:
“Coming from a strict Italian family, they thought nutrients were red meat and pasta. It was like, ‘We’ve got a big day tomorrow. Be sure to have the prosciutto before you go to bed.’ It’s a commitment that I’m 100 percent dedicated to because a) of my love for animals, and b) I’m obsessed with my health because my family has a terrible history with cancer.”
Her first car accident:
“I was driving to Big Sean’s house on those windy hills in L.A. It was my first time going up those hills so I was going like 12 miles per hour. This lady was whipping around the corner, and I came to a complete stop so she bumped me really hard — the whole front of my Range Rover was wrecked. She jumped out and was like, ‘Sweetie, it’s okay, it’s totally fine. What do you do?’ I was like, ‘I’m a singer.’ And she was like, ‘Oh, I think I broke my leg.’ And I was like, ‘I mean, I make jewelry.'”
Well, it was no accident that despite early rejection, Ariana Grande’s life and career took off in the big grand way that it did.
No longer hiding behind who she really is in an effort to be who the world loved and got used to + wanted her to be, Ariana’s broken out of her shell. And although not as yet with music singing powerhouses like Mary J. Blige, Natasha Beddingfield and India Arie as yet, Jessie J is a singing powerhouse in her own right—thus far, Ariana got her chance to bang chops with her (+ rapper Nicki Minaj) in the Simon Cowell approved pop hit: “Bang Bang.”
Just recently, she released the video with she and singing sensation Chris Brown, 25, called “Don’t Be Gone Too Long” a medieval themed video where he rescues his lady love from being captured by soldiers, in the sensual duet directed by Chris Brown who too, gets to show off his signature dances moves in a steamy dance scene that the two pop stars act out together in the video.
