Ariana Grande is sharing how music became her lifeline during the most difficult period of her life. Speaking on The Hollywood Reporter’s Awards Chatter podcast, the Oscar-nominated Wicked star revealed that releasing two albums in less than six months was essential in helping her cope with grief, depression, anxiety, and PTSD.
Her 2018 album Sweetener marked her first major project following the Manchester Arena bombing in 2017, where a suicide attack at her concert left 22 people dead and hundreds injured. Just months later, she followed it up with Thank U, Next in February 2019, a deeply personal album written in the wake of her ex-boyfriend Mac Miller’s overdose and the end of her engagement to Pete Davidson.
“I think I needed to be doing that,” Grande said, reflecting on the intense emotional toll she was facing. “I was doing so much therapy, and I was dealing with PTSD and all different kinds of grief and depression and anxiety. I was, of course, treating it very seriously, but having music be a part of that remedy was absolutely contributing to saving my life.”
Despite Republic Records initially trying to delay Thank U, Next so soon after Sweetener, Grande pushed forward, insisting that the music was a form of survival for her. “I don’t really care about the formula. I don’t want to play by the rules at this moment, because this is what I need for my soul,” she recalled. “It felt really healing and freeing. It was just such a beautiful moment of connection.”
Her decision to prioritize her mental and emotional well-being through music paid off. Thank U, Next became multi-platinum worldwide, earned four Grammy nominations, and was ranked No. 1 on Rolling Stone’s list of the 50 best albums of 2019.
Now, five years later, Grande is experiencing a new career high with her role in Jon M. Chu’s adaptation of Wicked, for which she has received Oscar, Golden Globe, and Screen Actors Guild nominations.
On the personal front, she has moved forward from her two-year marriage to Dalton Gomez and is now romantically linked to her Wicked co-star Ethan Slater. Through every challenge, Grande has proven that her passion for music and storytelling remains her strongest source of healing and resilience.
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