ARIANA GRANDEY O U R F R E E M O N T H L Y N E W S L E T T E R

JANUARY 2020 | ISSUE   13 | ARIANA GRANDE NEWS

ARIANA GRANDE STYLE,

DEFINED BY 7 OUTFITS

Two phenomena defined the summer of 2018: Ariana

Grande and Pete Davidson's 0-to-100-and-back-

again relationship and the birth of peak Ariana

Grande style.

As Grande rode the relationship roller coaster leading

to her Grammy-nominated album Thank U, Next, she

leaned in to an outfit formula—sweatshirt worn as a

dress, thigh-high boots, repeat—and leaned in hard.

She hasn't really changed up her style since. More

often than not, Grande's wearing weighted blankets

disguised as pullover hoodies, stiletto boots so sharp

they could double as sushi knives, and a sprinkle of

nostalgia in the form of a fanny pack.

Even on the red carpet,

Grande's outfits have a fluffy,

oversized element harkening

back to her hoodies, like the

"God Is a Woman" singer

wants to float into her

appearances on a 100%

cotton cloud.

With a few hero items and

a lot of excess fabric, anyone

can get the Ariana Grande

look. (Just don't blame us if

you want to give your closet

the Thank U, Next treatment

when summer rolls around.)

Let's get started with

Grande's fateful summer of

2018. If the Ariana Grande

style formula can be isolated

in a single outfit, it's in the

following look she was seen

wearing on an afternoon in

New York City. Her wrists are

swimming in inches of

excess sweatshirt. That

sweatshirt is also her dress.

(To copy the look, start with

the biggest-size sweatshirt

you can find. Don't be afraid

to hit up the men's

department.) Then there are

her shoes: She paired her

sweatshirt with suede over-

the-knee high-heel boots.

The result is a look that's high

on contrast (see also: the

green belt bag slightly

cinching her huge

sweatshirt) and low on

everyday street style.

K STAR MUSIC - ARIANA GRANDE - OFFICIAL ARIANATOR SITE2020

2

Add Grande to the long list of celebrities and street-style influencers who love to

wear monochromatic outfits—but in the domain of Ariana Grande style,

monochromatic outfits have a bit of an edge.

AT THE BILLBOARD WOMEN IN MUSIC AWARDS

We've been alluding to Grande's formal looks during and after her style renaissance. Now it's

time to see them in action. Grande accepted Billboard's Woman of the Year Award in 2018,

wearing an outfit that featured (1) a monochromatic color scheme and (2) tall boots under a very

short, yet voluminous, dress. This being a formal affair, Grande ditched sweatshirt materials in

favor of pale purple satin, courtesy of Christian Siriano.

The full outfit said, "I'm

basically wearing

pajamas but I'd meet

a five-star

steakhouse's dress

code." Its fashion cred

wasn't hurt by the

clear nylon bag she's

carrying—clear bags

are still trending.

In Grande's version, worn on another

casual jaunt during the Pete

Davidson period, she stuck to cream

tones with an off-white sweatshirt

dress and matching boots.

3

SNAPPING A MIRROR SELFIE

Grande spent much of 2019 touring

her album Thank U, Next—so in the

place of red-carpet appearances and

casual street-style snaps, the singer's

Instagram became the best place to

pick up fresh style tips.

Here she's serving a billowing army

green jacket as a dress. Instead of

opting for coordinating suede or

leather boots, she chose metallic

sneakers with three-inch soles. Her

courage!The takeaway: When you're

just not feeling thigh-high boots, dad

sneakers mark the footwear box on

the Grande style checklist. (Also, she

approves of the #OOTD Instagram

post.)

4

AT THE MTV VMAS

When you're hunting for a futuristic New Year's Eve outfit, consider riffing on this outfit. The

singer arrived at her 2018 MTV VMA's appearance wearing the Zenon interpretation of her

favorite apparel styles. Translation: Her skirt's volume came from layers of mirrorlike metallic

fabric, worn with a metallic bustier and sparkly silver boots.

5

GREETING FANS IN LOS ANGELES

All that lampshading may have you wondering, How does Ariana Grande style work when it's

cold? The following outfit Grande wore on a chilly Los Angeles day has the answer. Trade an

oversized hoodie for an oversized powder blue puffer, layer it over leggings—et voilà! Another

Grande outfit is born with the help of pastel athleisure pieces and sized-up outerwear.

6

PERFORMING ON THE SWEETENER WORLD TOUR

Grande crisscrossed the globe in 2019 to perform in custom outfits by Versace during

her Sweetener World Tour. If you're waiting to hear that Grande ran onstage in another

sweatshirt dress, you'll be disappointed—but her tour looks did incorporate details from her

greatest style hits. Take the bubblegum pink outfit below. It's got an oversized element (those

puffy organza sleeves), a skirt with a short hemline, and thigh-high boots with a formidable

heel.No outfit is more Ariana Grande than this outfit—and it showcases exactly what we love

about her style.

7

ARIANA GRANDE FACES COPYRIGHT INFRINGEMENT LAWSUIT

OVER 7 RINGS

In a lawsuit filed in a New York federal court on Thursday, an artist called Josh Stone, aka DOT,

claims that he shopped his own song You Need It, I Got It around in 2017.

One of the execs he claims to have played the song to was producer and Ariana Grande

collaborator Tommy Brown.

Stone alleges that the hook in 7 Rings, which is: I want it, I got it, I want it, I got it, was

copied from the hook in his song, which goes: You need it, I got it. You want it, I got it.

The lawsuit, which names Universal Music Corp and several others claims that “literally, every

single one of the 39 respective notes of 7 Rings is identical with the 39 notes of I Got It from a

metrical placement perspective”.

The lawsuit filed against Ariana Grande last week follows various other high profile copyright

infringement lawsuits in the music industry in recent months.

In October we reported how pop-punk band Yellowcard had filed a lawsuit, via lawyer Richard

Busch, claiming that Juice Wrld’s smash Lucid Dreams had infringed on the copyright of the

melody in their song, Holly Wood Died.

Meanwhile, Lizzo recently fought back against her Truth Hurts copyright claim with her own

fierce lawsuit, while Katy Perry, Capitol Records and her collaborators on the 2013 hit Dark

Horse filed an appeal against the $2.8 million copyright infringement judgment made about

the song last year.

8

WHY SOME FANS THINK ARIANA GRANDE'S 2020 GRAMMY

PERFORMANCE WILL PAY TRIBUTE TO MAC MILLER

Singer-songwriter Ariana Grande will be

performing at this year’s Grammy Awards.

And there are rumors that she’ll be paying

tribute to her late-ex, rapper Mac Miller,

with her act. Why do fans think this? Here’s

what we know.

Grande and Miller were a couple for over a

year, from sometime in 2016 through early

2018. They were seen together on numerous

occasions, attending the MTV VMAs as well

as The Meadows Music & Arts Festival in

New York during the year they began

dating. Grande and Miller were also seen

out and about in New York, and looked very

much in love.

The next year, both were a bit busier, and

didn’t spend as much time together.

However, Miller performed with his

girlfriend at her One Love Manchester

Benefit Concert in 2017, which came after a

tragic event at Grande’s show in the UK city

earlier that year.

Miller passed away in 2018

8

9

Many fans were sad to learn that Miller and Grande broke up. She wished him all the best, though,

before beginning her short-lived relationship with comedian Pete Davidson. Not long before she

broke off that engagement, Miller tragically passed away in Sept. 2018.

Grande took to social media to express her sadness and pain at the loss of her friend and ex-

boyfriend. Some believe that her strong emotions surrounding Miller’s death may have led to her

breakup with Davidson, given the timeline. She then included his name (along with those of her

other exes) in her hit single “Thank U, Next.”

IS GRANDE FEATURED ON MILLER’S POSTHUMOUS ALBUM,

‘CIRCLES?

In the weeks leading up to

the Grammys, it was

announced that Miller’s

family would be releasing

his first posthumous album,

titled Circles. Apparently, he

“was well into the process of

recording” the “companion

album” at the time of his

death.

Circles was released on Jan.

17. Less than a week before

that, Grande announced

that she would be

performing at the Grammys.

She then shared the above

Instagram post

about Circles‘ release on her

own Instagram Story. Could

this just be a kind gesture,

or something more?

HERE’S HOW GRANDE COULD PAY TRIBUTE TO MILLER AT THE

AWARDS SHOW

Fans who have listened to Circles believe that

Grande’s vocals are heard in the background

of the track “I Can See.” And a producer of the

record seemingly confirmed this to the New

York Times. So when a new ad for the

Grammys (as seen above) called Grande’s

upcoming appearance “a special

performance,” some began to wonder if it

would include a nod to Miller.

There are a few ways in which she could do

this. Grande could sing one of her tracks

that’s believed to be about Miller,

like “Ghostin.” She could sing “The Way,” the

song from her debut album that features

Miller. Or, she could even possibly sing one of

his songs, were his family to ask her to. We

can’t wait to find out which one of these (if

any) she does.

10

ARIANA GRANDE SONGS, RANKED: HER TOP 18 GREATEST

HITS FROM WORST TO BEST

What are the greatest hits of Ariana Grande‘s career? The powerhouse vocalist has made a name

for herself and then some, so we’ve ranked the best songs she has recorded. Did your favorite

make the cut? And do you agree with our choice for her best song ever?

Grande got her start on Broadway when she was just 15 in the musical “13,” which featured a cast

made up entirely of teenagers. But her big breakout role came a couple of years later when she

played Cat Valentine in the Nickelodeon series “Victorious” in the early 2010s and then its spinoff

“Sam and Cat.”

She followed in the footsteps of artists like Justin Timberlake, Britney Spears, Selena

Gomez and Demi Lovato, who parlayed their success on kids’ TV shows into a multi-platinum

music career. And the milestones kept coming.

She released her debut studio album “Yours Truly” in 2013. It debuted at number-one on the

Billboard 200 albums chart and featured the song “The Way” featuring Mac Miller, which was her

first ever top-10 hit on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart.

Her second album, “My Everything,” earned her her first Grammy nominations: Best Pop Album

and Best Pop Duo/Group Performance (“Bang Bang” with Jessie J and Nicki Minaj). But the first

time she took home a Grammy was in 2019, when her fourth album, “Sweetener,” won Best Pop

Album.

Just a few months after the release of “Sweetener,” she outdid herself again with her fifth album,

“Thank U, Next,” which produced the first number-one singles of her career: the title track and “7

Rings,” which topped the Billboard chart back to back. “Thank U, Next” also earned a Grammy

nomination for Album of the Year, her first ever in that category.

And she accomplished all that by the time she was 26. See how we rank her best songs below.

18. ‘Focus’ (2015)

15. ‘Boyfriend’ withSocial House (2019)

12. ‘One Last Time’(2015)

9. ‘Dangerous Woman’(2016)

6. ‘God is a Woman’(2018)

3. ‘Break Free’featuring Zedd (2014)

17. ‘Beauty and the Beast’with John Legend (2017)

14. ‘Love Me Harder’featuring The Weeknd(2014)

11. ‘Into You’ (2016)

8. ‘Problem’ featuring IggyAzalea (2014)

5. ‘The Way’ featuring MacMiller (2013)

2. ‘No Tears Left to Cry’(2018)

16. ‘Break Up with YourGirlfriend, I’m Bored’(2019)

13. ‘Side to Side’featuring Nicki Minaj(2016)

10. ‘Breathin’ (2018)

7. ‘Bang Bang’ withJessie J and NickiMinaj (2014)

4. ‘7 Rings’ (2019)

1. ‘Thank U, Next’ (2018)

11

ARIANA GRANDE SHARES PHOTO WITH BTS MEMBERS

Top stars BTS and Ariana Grande recently snapped a photo together!

On January 23 KST, Ariana Grande shared a photo of herself posing with

the members of BTS (minus Suga). She wrote in the caption, “Look who I

bumped into at rehearsal.”

Ariana Grande and BTS will both be performing at the 2020 Grammy

Awards on January 26. According to Variety, the group will

be joining American rapper Lil Nas X for his performance of “Old Town

Road.”

12

ARIANA GRANDE EXPLAINS WHY SHE UNFOLLOWED BEST

FRIEND ALEXA LURIA ON INSTAGRAM

Lexie went to school with ArianaGrande and appeared in her '7 rings','thank u, next' and 'break free' videos.

Ariana Grande has opened up to fans about why

she's unfollowed her childhood best friend Alexa

Luria (Lexie) on Instagram.

Ariana Grande and Alexa Luria first became

friends when they were eight-years-old in P.E.

class. Since then, Ariana and Lexie have remained

close and Lexie's even starred in Ariana's music

videos for 'Break Free', 'thank u, next' and '7 rings'.

Lexie was actually one of the friends who inspired

'7 rings' and she's regularly featured in Ariana's

social media posts over the years. Alexa is a food,

travel and wellness influencer. She runs the

platform @girlwithagourmetpalate with over

135,000 followers.

Capital reported yesterday (Jan 20) that Ariana

no longer follows Lexie on Instagram and now

Ariana has explained why.

Last week (Jan 16), a fan tweeted: "everything

okay? saw you unfollowed a

friend... @ArianaGrande. Ariana then responded:

"sometimes people outgrow each other no

matter how much they love one another or how

much history is there. hopefully it’s temporary. all

i ask is that y’all please not get involved or send

anything negative her way. want to get ahead of

that."

Another fan then reassured Ariana by saying

that they wouldn't send any negative tweets

Lexie's way. They wrote: "we won’t. thank you

for caring and being so kind". Ariana

tweeted back asking fans not to spread any

hate towards Lexie and to call out others

who do: "i appreciate it. if you see anyone

doing that at any point please ask them

kindly not to."

A different fan then added: "u don’t have to

share everything with us but we love u and

hope u are ok." and Ariana replied: "for sure.

just trying to protect her also."

In other words, there's

no drama here. Just

Ariana and Lexie aren't

close anymore.

13

Song inspiration can come from anywhere.

First love. Heartbreak. Social injustices. Bad first dates.

Or, in the case of Ariana Grande's smash hit "7 rings," nominated for both Record of the Year and

Best Pop Solo Performance at the 62nd Grammy Awards taking place on Sunday, Jan. 26, a

shopping trip.

It's a story Ari has told many times since she dropped the Sound of Music-interpolating track

exactly one year ago. A day at Tiffany's and some bottles of bubbly led to, first, the purchase of

the titular hardware (for her newly-single self and six of her closest girls) and then, after an

afternoon in the studio, a killer trap-pop bop that would permeate the culture with its

eminently quotable lyrics.

Listening to the superstar tell the tale, you may have found yourself wondering whether or not it

really went down that serendipitously, whether a song that would debut atop the Billboard Hot

100 as only the 33rd song in history to do so could really be written so quickly. If you did, you

certainly wouldn't have been alone.

But, as co-writers Tayla Parx and Victoria Monét told E! News exclusively, in separate interviews

ahead of their trip to the Grammys, it's exactly how it happened.

"She was supposed to be at the studio, actually, but she was so excited that everything was

going so well that week. It felt really therapeutic. And she ended up, unbeknownst to us—me

and Tayla—going to Tiffany's," Monét, who was introduced to Grande in a writing session

with Joe Jonas back when she was just the star of a Nickeloden show, eventually forming a tight

professional bond, with writing credits on every single Ari album, as well as a close friendship,

told us. "So we had started—I love The Sound of Music. Me and my grandma, like, grew up on it.

And I know she likes theater as well. So when I started to sing the verse melody to Tayla, I texted

her, 'You're gonna love this song that we're working on.'"

As Parx, who also met Grande back in her Nick days, where the two gushed over each other's

appearances in the Hairspray musical film (Parx played Little Inez) and the Broadway

show 13 (the musical was Ari's professional debut), before being re-introduced to her as a

songwriter years later, explained, "She literally sent a text message asking people's ring sizes.

And we were like, 'OK....' I didn't know my ring size, so she just guessed mine, but we show up to

the studio that day and, literally, she's coming in with bags on bags. I'm like, 'She had a good

day. OK!' Next thing you know, she's pulling out some stuff. I'm like, 'For little old me?'

HERE'S EXACTLY HOW ARIANA GRANDE'S "7 RINGS" WAS

MADE

14

"She's like, 'So, I had

champagne and

something happened,

so I have something for

all you guys,'" Monét

added. "We were like,

'What?!' So then they

suggested that we call

the song '7 rings.' And

in my head, at first, I

was like, 'How the hell

am I gonna make a

song about seven

rings?' But it just came

together naturally, just

talking about what

had gone on that day,

how generous she is,

how independent she

is as an artist and as a

person. "

As Monét explained, the song was an opportunity for her and Parx to show the world a side of

their friend that hadn't yet made its way into her music. "Tayla and I obviously had a lot of fun

giving her the idea to just, like, not sing, to kind of rap and, you know, just kind of brag a little bit,"

she said. "Be braggadocious without her vocals, but still add beautiful harmonies and everything

underneath."

The track allowed for the bringing together of all the disparate elements that makeup Grande's

musical interests. "Say Ari and I are in the car together. It sounds like the music we listen to,"

Monét continued. "We have our hip-hop moments and then we have our theater moments.

We're kind of all over the place. So this kind of brought everything all together and allowed her to

do something, I think, kind of left center from what people would expect of her. And to not have

the hook be this grandiose…vocal, it was really cool for us. We listened to it so many times in the

studio, just dancing and having more champagne. And I think at one point we dropped our rings

in champagne, like dropped them in some champagne glasses, just doing the most."

The song coming together as fast as it did is impressive enough, but as Parx shared, it was an

outlier for an even more impressive reason.

"Sometimes, hit songs can come fast, you know? It just depends on your style as a writer. And I've

had songs in the past where it's like, 'Okay, take 30 minutes to two hours or whatever,' but it's also

really rare," she admitted. "And what makes '7 rings' different is that basically it's the same as the

demo. Even if a hit song is written in 30 minutes or 20 or whatever it is, most of the time it still

goes through a bunch of series of changes, whether it's in the production or the top line or

anything like that. This? Other than the bridge being added on by Victoria, it didn't change at all."

15

As for that bridge, where

Ari the Rapper jumps out,

spitting bars, Monét

admitted that, initially, it

was meant to be quite

different. "Honestly, she

was gonna have a feature

on the bridge," she

revealed. "And so we

wanted to do something

that that felt more

rhythmic because we were

singing in the verses pretty

melancholy. So when I

went in, I just kind of

wanted to give a

juxtaposition to the other

verses and also still be on

theme and braggy and

exciting and like really

inspired by the hip hop-

type ad-libs in the

background and just more

free. And so she heard it,

she's like 'I'm cutting this. I

love this.'"

But before Ari could claim the moment as her own, it had to be written. And to do that, the co-

writers had to overcome a literal ocean between them.

"I was literally out of the country and...we were trying to write this thing over the phone. It was

hilarious," Parx told us. "I was in Indonesia and it was kind of crazy, the time zones. I had a show.

And she called me and she's like, 'We've got to put bridge on this thing.'"

Despite the fact that bridges are a risky

gamble these days, having fallen a bit out

of favor in pop music—"It's kind of a thing

of the past with the way that the structure

of songs have kind of evolved," Parx

admitted. "But if you're gonna do a bridge,

it really better be a moment"—the two put

in the work and made it happen.

"When I heard it back, because Victoria

went and finished and recorded the

demo vocals after we got off the phone—

she was doing it while we were on the

phone, which is another hilarious thing

because I'm just like hearing echo and the

studio speakers and everything while

she's in the booth," Parx revealed.

16

But you know, then eventually I got to hear Ariana's vocals on it and it was incredible. That bridge

is a series of group chat messages and FaceTimes."

And it wasn't anything anyone ever had any doubt that Ari could pull off once she claimed it for

herself. "She always had rhythm, she's always been cool, she's always been these things," Parx

gushed about her friend. "And I think the world is just being able to see it. It's easy for me to say

because I've known her since we were like 14, 15, but it was really fun for me to be a part of the

world seeing it this time around."

"I think it was able to give us the opportunity to bring more of our friendship and the silly side into

music," Monét added. "And although it wasn't taken too seriously, it ended up being a really big

song for her, which, I think, means the most to us because it's just our pure personalities coming

out in song form."

While the

sort of

expeditious

songwriting

is par for the

course when

it comes to

Ari and her

collaborators,

the roll-out

for "7 rings"

and the rest

of the thank

u, next

album was

markedly

different

than

anything

that she'd

done before.

"The difference with this was it came out just as fast as we created. Usually if you make a song,

there's a whole roll-out that the label goes through and you have to plan. There's a single release

and videos and all this. So for this, I think it was a month after we made the song, which is

unheard of. Usually, like, I count down probably like seven months or something until we hear

what we've created out in the world," Monét said. "But the way that she particularly dropped

'thank u, next,' I think led to a new era for her as an artist to just be free to drop things. And I think

'7 rings' took on that same persona. Just release it, let it go."

And once it was let go, it truly became a moment. Not only did it give Ari her second-ever No. 1

debut and eventually earn her the Grammy nominations, but it turned the line "gee thanks, just

bought it" into a bona fide viral meme. "That was definitely fun, especially that line because it's so

much of our personalities," Parx said. "And we've literally seen people pull off their hair at live

shows talking about some 'gee thanks, just bought it!'"

17

"It's so hilarious and goes to show just how many women feel that exact same way. So, it's just

fun to be, first of all, a part of culture but mainly like a part of pushing culture you know? And

really saying, 'This is what we're doing,'" she continued. "All three of us who come from

completely different backgrounds and everything are in this room and we feel the same exact

way. And then we released it out to the world and literally found that, hey, there's millions of

other girls and boys who also just bought some extensions that also feel that exact same way.

That was really satisfying."

Watching the song blow up gave Monét a similar sense of satisfaction. "It's hard to put into

words how it feels. But I guess the closest way to describe it—and I hope this is okay to say—but

it feels like you're high," she admitted. "You're just high on life and you're like, wow, you really

can take your tiny idea in a room, five people in a studio, and then the whole world can hear it.

This a wild thing to be able to create and have someone really love the idea so much and have

it be—it's gonna last forever. Like, I'll be able to later be like to my grandkids, 'You know this old

classic '7 rings?' [Laughs] 'That was your grandma and her friends.'"

And then Grammy came a-calling.

Not only did the track earn its two nominations, but the album as a whole scored nods in both

the Best Pop Vocal Album and Album of the Year categories. "I had looked at the website a

couple of times because I was like, 'Wait, wait, wait, wait.' At first I was like, 'OK, yeah, so two

categories.' And I kept scrolling. I was like, ‘Three. Four! What the hell?'" Monét said of that

November morning. "Last year, I was a part of the nomination for her, but it's different to see my

name on it, I think. It's like a different energy. I have 'a lot of Grammys' listed on my goals list.

Just hoping that I can take some of these off."

"I literally woke up and my mom, she bought one of my favorite types of champagne which is

also happens to be all of our favorite types of champagne—me, Ariana and Victoria—and a big

part of this album in general," Parx said.

(Veuve Clicquot, for the record.) "So it was already nostalgic and she literally woke me up early

as hell and she had that ready for me...That was the perfect way for me to be up at the crack of

dawn."

While both writers are burgeoning stars in their own right with plenty to look forward to in the

near future—Parx, whose track "Fight" with Florida Georgia Line is burning up the charts, kicks

off her debut headlining tour on January 31 in her hometown of Dallas, Tx., while Monét will

follow up her excellent 2019 single "Ass Like That" with a new track and video in February,

followed by a bigger project this spring that she described to us as leaning "a little more toward

'70s...stepping sort of separately from the music that I wrote for other people a little more and

trying to navigate my own sound"—they've got a big party to attend Sunday night first.

"All we know is we're going to be together, but whether or not we win, it's going to be exciting

to be considered. It's exciting to be able to go to this type of event and sit across with your

friends and have your name mentioned at all among so many other great artists and be

recognized by the Grammy board. So whether or not we win, we're going to be excited and

we're going to be together and we're probably gonna have more champagne," Monét said. "I'm

sure that once it comes a little bit closer the nerves will grow, and then when it passes, we'll be

able to have the butterflies drift away and just celebrate together. Have a good time."

"I can tell you Clicquot will be involved," Parx added.

We'd expect nothing less.

18

19

WILL ARIANA GRANDE TOUR IN 2020? HER GRAMMYS SHOW

CAPS OFF A BUSY YEARAfter a whirlwhind

2019, it doesn't

look like Ariana

Grande will tour in

2020 — at least

not yet. Fans

shouldn't worry

about missing the

pop star for long

though. The

"thank u, next"

singer will perform

on the Grammy

stage on Jan. 26,

where she'll also

be celebrating her

five nominations.

The Grammys

mark the perfect

opportunity for

Grande to officially

wrap up her

busy Sweetener/th

ank u, next era

that saw the 26-

year-old deliver hit

after hit and

smash her

previous tour

sales.

A new report from Billboard revealed that Grande's Sweetener tour, which

wrapped in December 2019, brought in $146.4 million with 1.3 million tickets

sold — that's more than double the total from her 2017 Dangerous

Woman tour. The singer's success is due in part to her reaching new creative

heights with her back-to-back album, Sweetener and thank u, next. In

addition to releasing two critically-acclaimed albums, and coming off a

record-breaking world tour, she also recently released k, bye for now, a

surprise live Sweetener album.

The album's title could double as a hint that Grande is planning to take a

well-deserved break in 2020, but fans shouldn't expect her to be gone for

long. As she told Vogue in a July 2019 interview, music brings her

"solace," which she found in the studio as she recorded thank u, next in the

aftermath of ex-boyfriend Mac Miller's sudden death and the end of her

engagement to Pete Davidson.

"I don’t really remember how it started or how it finished, or how all of a sudden there were 10

songs on the board," Grande told the magazine of the process. "I think that this is the first

album and also the first year of my life where I'm realizing that I can no longer put off spending

time with myself, just as me."

With her schedule tour-free for the foreseeable future, Grande will have plenty of time to slow

down and hang out with herself if that's what she wants. But first up, she's set to wow her fans

at the Grammys. In addition to performing, she could walk away with a few trophies if the night

goes well. The "7 Rings" singer won her first Grammy in 2019 for Best Pop Vocal Album

for Sweetener. This year, she's up for Album Of The Year, Best Pop Vocal Album for thank you,

next, and more.

Another win would certainly be a sweet way to cap off a year of success, but win or lose, Grande

is likely already plotting her next chapter.

ARIANA GRANDE ALREADY TOLD YOU WHO SHE’S DATING —

SEVERAL TIMES

It’s been over a year since Ariana Grande dropped her smash single “Thank U, Next” and

technically we are not any closer to finding out who is next in Ariana Grande's dating

life. It's hard to accept, I know, but Grande actually already gave us her answer all the

way back then: "Her name is Ari and I'm so good with that."

As the singer gets ready to take the 2020 Grammys by storm — she’s nominated five

times, including for the album and single “Thank U, Next” — don’t expect to see her

walking the red carpet with a significant other on her arm or hitting any after-parties

with a so-called bae. Currently, she's not dating anyone, let alone rumored to be dating

anyone. This could be, understandably, shocking to those who followed her love life

before 2019.

If you’ve paid any sort of attention to music news over the last two years, you know that

Grande has recently come off a string of high-profile breakups. The most recent one was

Pete “BDE” Davidson, of Saturday Night Live fame, and the two were actually engaged

for a short time. It was very much a whirlwind romance and one that played out all

across the internet as we obsessed about their every move (and tattoo). But, some things

must come to an end, and in October 2019, Grande and Davidson broke up after six

months together.

Prior to Davidson, Grande dated the late Mac Miller, but the two broke up sometime

before May 2018; Miller died in September of that same year.

Grande sings about both of these prior relationships during “Thank U, Next,” which

brings us back to this next. Honestly, who knows what the rest of 2020 holds for

Grande’s love life, but so far there’s nothing on the (public) horizon — despite one pesky

rumor that got squashed pretty quickly.

In September 2019 Grande had was rumored to have a new boyfriend, after Grande’s

brother, Frankie, suggested that he had just been on a double date with Ariana and

Social House frontman Mikey Foster. Adding fuel to this rumor, Foster is featured on

Grande’s single “Boyfriend” and the two make out in the music video for the song. With

Frankie’s comment, it sure seemed like Ariana had found a new guy.

However, no sooner were the words “double date” out of Frankie’s lips that he changed

his tune, and claimed that he was just hanging out with his sister and a bunch of friends,

no romantic feelings involved.

So there you have it. There is no "next" other than Ari herself. NO new information about

who she might be hanging out with, or even might be linked to is out there and that's

probably to her liking. She ended “Thank U, Next” by singing about taking some time to

be with herself and she started 2019 with this a since-deleted tweet, about dating

rumors: "Spoiler for the rest of this year / probably my life: it’s no one. please refer back to

this tweet for further questions."

20

THE LYRICS TO ARIANA GRANDE'S "7 RINGS" ARE ALL ABOUT

SISTERHOOD

Chances are you'll recognize "7 Rings" by Ariana Grande even if you've never heard it before. The

second single off Grande's 2019 album Thank U, Next , "7 Rings" borrows a melody from one of

the most iconic songs ever: "My Favorite Things" from The Sound of Music.

Though the 26-year-old superstar identifies some her favorite things in the song, those items

are way shinier (and more expensive) than the "raindrops on roses" and "whiskers on kittens"

Fraulein Maria (Julia Andrews) names in the 1965 The Sound of Music. With its descriptions of

jewelry and shopping sprees, "7 Things" is a song about looking good—and feeling good as a

result.

The hip hop-inspired

song draws from a

personal and extremely

public time in Grande's

life: The aftermath of her

breakup

with SNL comedian Pete

Davidson. Only a few

weeks after first being

linked in May 2018,

Grande sported

a $93,000 pear-shaped

engagement ring. By

October 2018, the couple

had called off their

engagement (and

Grande returned her

ring).

Her February 2019

album, thank u, next,

contains many references

to their relationship—

including "7 rings."

In December 2018, Grande revealed the incident that inspired the song in a tweet. Grande

explained that after a "pretty rough day" in New York, she took six of her best friends to Tiffany &

Co. and bought them all diamond rings. Grande later bought her mom and grandmother

Tiffany, too—but that was long after the song was written.

Grande wrote "7 Rings" after the shopping trip with her close friends Tayla Parx, Victoria Monét,

Alexa Luria, Courtney Chipolone, Njomza Vitia, and Kim "Kaydence" Krysiuk, all of whom were

present for the spree. All of the women, aside from Krysiuk, appeared in the video for "7 Rings" as

well.

21

The shopping

trip is reflected

in the song's

opening stanza,

which

references the

classic 1965

movie Breakfast

at Tiffany's.

Grande sings,

"Breakfast at

Tiffany's and

bottles of

bubbles / Girls

with tattoos

who like getting

in trouble /

Lashes and

diamonds, ATM

machines / Buy

myself all of my

favorite things."

Typically,

diamond rings

are associated

with

engagement.

In "7 Rings," Grande is deliberately placing sisterhood on the same level as romantic

relationships. Those of us who had been following Grande's very eventful year in the tabloids will

immediately understand why. She's committing to her friends, not to Davidson.

When Grande's personal history is taken into account, "7 Rings" is really a song about one

woman recalibrating her life, and redefining success. She'd rather spoil her friends with her

substantial bank account than be tied down.

Listen to "7 Rings" enough times, and you'll wonder: Maybe the Beatles were wrong. Maybe

money can buy you love–and happiness. When Grande sings, "Whoever said money can't solve

your problems / Must not have had enough money to solve 'em," she's speaking from experience.

"Wearing a ring, but ain't gon' be no Mrs. / Bought matching diamonds for six of my bitches / I'd

rather spoil all my friends with my riches / Think retail therapy my new addiction," Grande sings.

Granted, the very premise of the song is enough to make the frugal-minded among us squirm:

She bought seven diamond rings? For no real occasion? But Grande's not apologizing for her

credit card statement.

Throughout the song, Grande unabashedly flaunts her wealth, and the doors (and shopping

bags) it opens. 22

"I don't mean to brag, but I be like, 'Put it in the bag,'" Grande sings at one point. She also opens

up about her real enviable estate purchases: "I bought a crib just for the closet / Both his and

hers, I want it, I got it, yeah."

In the chorus, Grande basks in the delight of instant gratification: "I see it / I like it / I want it / I

got it." When you're that rich, it's that easy.

The song isn't necessarily relatable. Who among us has an AmEx "black card," available by

invitation only, like the one she references in her song?

But the song is honest, and that's the quality that remained consistent as Grande navigated

that year's string of tragedies. A month before her she called off her engagement with

Davidson, Grande's ex-boyfriend, 26-year-old musician Mac Miller, died of a drug overdose. A

year before, in May 2017, a terrorist detonated a bomb at a concert in Manchester, U.K., killing

and injuring fans. Grande suffers from PTSD as a result.

In a way, "7 Rings" is a victory song. Grande was in a tunnel, and she's coming out the other side:

"Been through some bad sh*t, I should be a sad bi**h / Who woulda thought it'd turn me to a

savage?"

As with her breakup anthem "thank u, next," Grande swiftly and masterfully incorporated

personal events into a song with "7 Rings." Grande reclaims the narrative, and she makes it

catchy.

Hum along to "7 Rings" during your next shopping trip, or during Grande's performance at the

2020 Grammys.

23

24

ARIANA GRANDE DOES A FULL SPLIT IN THREE-PART

GRAMMYS PERFORMANCE

A year ago, Ariana Grande and the Grammys were in a bit of a weird spot. Grande, whose

album Thank U, Next was released mere days before the 2019 ceremony, decided to bow out of

her scheduled performance, tweeting that "my creativity & self expression was stifled" by

producer Ken Ehrlich. (She won her first Grammy anyway.)

This year, though,

Grande's making

up for lost time.

When she took

the stage at the

2020 ceremony,

she didn't just

sing a single

song, or even

two. The pop

superstar rolled

through an

intimate

"Imagine," a

statement-

making "7 Rings"

(including an

introductory bit

of "My Favorite

Things," a song it

interpolates), and

a sweetly simple

"Thank U, Next"

to close things

out.

With lots of choreo, an outfit swap, and even a change of scenery, Ari made

his time count — and shrank the grand Sweetener tour down to its most

emotional parts.

First up was a minimalist take on "Imagine" sung in front of a glowing blue

and purple orb, not unlike the ones that adorned the stage backdrop on her

tour. With a little help from a lush string section (including a harp), the

delicate Thank U, Next cut set a typical awards-show scene, one Grande kept

up with her long gloves and a dark dress. The strings also lent "My Favorite

Things" some additional drama — and then it was playtime.

A quick costume change into a silky, poofy robe led into a bedroom set change where a pink-

hued slumber party, like the one in the song's beloved video, featured tons and tons of choreo.

Ari got loose, did a split (!), rolled into a proper strut, and punctuated things with a money toss.

Naturally.

An a cappella "Thank U, Next" saw Ari changing the lyrics a bit ("I be thinking about my dad /

'Cause he's really awesome"); the whole thing found a very soft landing with string

accompaniment and a tender ending right on the bed, putting her ring (one of the seven,

obviously) back into its box, and a smile.

25

ARIANA GRANDE CHANGED HER "THANK U, NEXT" LYRICS

DURING GRAMMYS 2020 PERFORMANCE

Ariana Grande may have taken a temporary hiatus from the Grammys in 2019, but this year,

she's back and providing more surprises than ever. After leaving us stunned with a red carpet

moment that included Cinderella vibes, her iconic ponytail, and blonde hair, the singer

performed a medley of her hits, and even unveiled a special lyric change.

During a performance of "Thank U Next," Ariana changed the lyrics in one line to pay tribute

to her special dates for the evening. After walking the red carpet with her parents, the pop

star gave a shout out to her dad, singing, "I'll be thanking my dad/Cause he's really awesome."

As listeners of the track know, the real lyrics go, "I'll be thanking my dad/'Cause she grew from

the drama."

The change seems like an intentional nod to her dad's Grammys attendance, since Ariana

has talked some about the struggles in their relationship in the past. "It's private, but it

happened last year," she once told Seventeen. "It took me so long to be okay with it. The

thing that got me there was embracing the fact that I am made up of half my dad, and a lot

of my traits come from him. So much of me comes from my father, and for so long, I didn't

like that about myself. I had to accept that it's okay not to get along with somebody and still

love them."

The adorable parental shoutout left some viewers on social media in their feels. "When she

changed the lyrics to “I’ll be thanking my dad, cause he’s really awesome” I teared up," one

fan wrote.

Phew, looks like we better pay close attention to the Grammys. From Ari's special shoutout

to a special appearance from spinach, there is certainly a lot happening.

26

ARIANA GRANDE TURNS STAGE INTO A SLUMBER PARTY ATGRAMMY AWARDS

Pop music’s reigning princess Ariana Grande gave an intimate performance at the 2020 Grammy

Awards as she transformed the Staples Center stage into a bedroom and slumber party. Grande,

who arrived at the Grammys in a voluminous grey tulle dress, made numerous costume changes

throughout the evening.

Joined by an orchestra and a team of dancers clad in silky robes, the singer slayed the stage with

her hits “7 Rings,” “Imagine,” and “Thank U Next,” all of which are featured on her album of the

same name.

After singing “Imagine,” she went into a version of “My Favorite Things” from “The Sound of Music.”

That segued into “7 Rings,” which samples the movie soundtrack staple.

The 26-year-old artist is nominated for an impressive five nominations at music’s biggest night,

including Record of the Year, Album of the Year and Best Pop Solo Performance. She was

supposed to perform at the event in 2019, but plans fell through after producers declined to allow

her to perform her new hit at the time, “7 Rings.” An agreement had been reached in which

Grande could perform the track as part of the medley, but the singer pulled out of the

performance and refused to attend the event after producers insisted that the second song

would be of their choosing.

Grande was also in recent news over “7 Rings.” She is being sued by songwriter Josh Stone who

claims that the pop singer ripped off the chorus to a song he wrote two years prior. Stone claims

that he wrote a song called, “You Need It, I Got It” in 2017 that he played for producer Tommy

Brown, who has worked extensively with Grande.

This isn’t the first time complaints have been aimed at the popular song. Soulja Boy, Princess

Nokia and 2 Chainz have all made claims, via social media, of “7 Rings” being very similar to some

of their songs.

27

ARIANA GRANDE HAS A CINDERELLA MOMENT IN GRAY

TULLE AT THE 2020 GRAMMYS

AAriana

Grande skipped

the Grammys in

protest last year,

claiming she

didn't receive

the creative

freedom she

wanted for her

performance.

She even posted

a photo of the

Cinderella-style

Zac Posen

dress she

planned to wear

to the ceremony

on Instagram.

But this year,

she's there in

person, and she

fully committed

to her first big

award show

look of the new

decade—she

even went for

the Cinderella

look again.

Grande wore a custom Giambattista Valli blue-grey tulle dress with gloves. Her

hair was up in its signature ponytail and dyed blonde.

Grande won her first-ever Grammy last year, and this year, she's up for an

additional five awards: Record of the Year ("7 Rings"), Album of the Year (Thank

U, Next), Best Pop Solo Performance ("7 Rings"), Best Pop Duo/Group

Performance ("Boyfriend"), and Best Pop Vocal Album (Thank U, Next).

Grande is performing at the Grammys this year, although she hasn't revealed what songs she'll

be doing. On Instagram, she teased that she hung out with BTS during rehearsals earlier this

week. "look who i bumped into at rehearsal :)" she wrote.

When Grande's nominations were announced, she posted her initial reactions on Twitter and

then a longer note on her Instagram. "hello i had to share this here as well i’m sorry [sic]," she

started. "thank u for acknowledging this music my beautiful best friends and i created in just a

few weeks together. the acknowledgement is truly more than enough on its own for me and

my heart. thank u. pls allow me to bring literally all of my friends who worked on it to sit

around me so they can make sure my heart is still beating lmao. so much love and gratitude. �

also also !!!! i have to say congratulations to all of my other friends that have been nominated

this year for their brilliant work as well ! i cant wait to celebrate everyone together."

28

29

30

WAIT, HOW MANY DRESSES DID ARIANA GRANDE WEAR AT

THE GRAMMYS?

While

the Grammys are

known for having

some of the more

exciting red-

carpet looks out

of all the award

shows, last night’s

ceremony stood

out: A truly

impressive

number of celebs

had genuinely

fun, weird outfits.

There was Billy

Porter’s

rhinestone

jumpsuit and

matching

automated fringe

hat — a look

seemingly

inspired by a

1970s-era

standing lamp.

And Lil Nas X’s

hot-pink harness,

one of the best

takes yet on the

new red-carpet

staple. Oh, and

how could I

forget Ariana

Grande’s dresses

— all 4,572 of

them.

To start the night, the singer — who was nominated for five Grammys —

stepped onto the red carpet wearing a Cinderella-style ballgown made of

approximately 1,000 feet of gray tulle, which she spun for cameras, and at one

point, crouched down into. But that was only one-half of her red carpet look.

Before she left the carpet, the singer changed into yet another outfit: a puffy

two-toned gray dress. (She did, however, keep on her opera-length gloves

from the first look.)

And, as you may have suspected, Ari didn’t stay in that outfit for very long. At some point during

the ceremony, she put on a strapless emerald gown. Okay, so, three different elaborate outfits

during the nearly four-hour-long show. Except, wait …

During her four-song performance, Ari wore two more outfits: an elegant black ballgown, and a

sexy fembot-esque pink robe. So technically, she had five different looks in a span of four hours.

Five! That’s more outfits than I sometimes wear in five days — or, if I’m being honest, a whole

week.

K STAR MUSIC - ARIANA GRANDE - OFFICIAL ARIANATOR SITE2020