Ariana Grande Makes Rare Statement About Late Ex Mac Miller, Credits Him For Helping Find Her ‘Sound’

Ariana Grande doesn’t typically talk about her ex, the late rapper Mac Miller. However, she recently opened up about the artist and how he helped her find her sound as a musician while working on the 2013 song “The Way.”

On December 5, the Wicked: For Good star, 32, spoke at Chapman University in Orange, Calif., for a live masterclass in conversation with The Hollywood Reporter for the outlet’s Awards Chatter podcast when Miller and their collaboration came up.

According to People, Grande discussed finding her own style as an artist and noted that Miller helped her blend R&B into her pop music.

“R&B influenced pop music,” she said in footage from the event posted to TikTok. She went on to explain how Miller convinced her to “do the brave thing” and include those influences in her music.

“Yeah, I’ve never said that [before],” she added.

“That’s also part of why I was so eager to ask him to be a part of it,” she continued. “Not only because he was perfect for the song, but I also felt like I had him to thank for finding my sound.”

The advice clearly worked. People notes that “The Way,” featured on her debut album “Yours Truly,” peaked at No. 9 on the Billboard Hot 100 charts, giving both her and Miller their first top ten hit.

Three years after the song was released, Miller and Grande went public with their relationship. However, they ended things in 2018 and she began dating Saturday Night Live comedian Pete Davidson. Later that year, Miller died of an accidental overdose of fentanyl, cocaine and alcohol at the age of 26.