Ariana Grande has shared how ‘thankful’ she is to ex Mac Miller in a rare comment about the late rapper.
Miller died at his home in September 2018 at the age of 26 after an accidental drug overdose of cocaine, fentanyl, and alcohol.
The couple had split months before, but the Wicked star has recalled how influential he was in helping her find her sound.
While speaking at Chapman University, she shared how Miller encouraged her to ‘make R&B influenced pop music’.
‘I’m really thankful for that,’ Grande said, prompting huge applause from the students in a video shared on TikTok.
The duo collaborated on song The Way in 2013, which was the lead single from her debut album Yours Truly.
It was her breakthrough hit, with the music video featuring Grande and Miller dancing around a balloon filled room.
‘That’s also part of why I was so eager to ask him to be a part of it,’ the Boyfriend singer continued.
‘Not only because he was perfect for the song, but I also felt like I had him to thank for finding my sound.’
It wasn’t until three years later that the stars began dating, with Grande featuring on his 2016 song My Favorite Part.
He also remixed her song Into You the same year, with the pair continuing to date until May 2018, splitting months before his death.
In 2023, when releasing the 10th anniversary deluxe version of Yours Truly, Grande paid tribute to her ex by sharing the music video with the caption ‘I love you’.
She also shared a special audio version of The Way performed in London on YouTube, with the rapper’s vocals and extra instrumentals added in.
At the very end of the clip, the artwork and title faded to black, with only ‘Feat. Mac Miller’ remaining on screen.
A month after Miller’s death, Grande ended her high profile engagement with Pete Davidson who she began seeing shortly after splitting with the rapper.
The Eternal Sunshine singer was struggling with anxiety, depression and PTSD at the time, having been the target of a terror attack the year before.
In May 2017, her Manchester concert was bombed in the deadliest terrorist attack in the UK since 2005, with 22 people killed.
Miller performed with her at the One Love concert, which raised money for victims and families affected by bombings.
Earlier this year, Grande told The Hollywood Reporter‘s Awards Chatter podcast that music saved her during that dark time.
‘I was, of course, treating it very seriously, but having music be a part of that remedy was absolutely contributing to saving my life.
‘They were dark times, and the music brought so much levity.’
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