What did Ariana Grande reveal about Mac Miller’s impact on her early music? Singer shares a story she's "never" told before

Ariana Grande was full of praise for ex-boyfriend Mac Miller in a new statement. The Wicked actress revealed, while speaking to students at Chapman University, that the Self Care hitmaker had been the one to point her in the direction of R&B-influenced pop music. Grande said she’s really thankful for Miller “finding her sound” and included him in her track “The Way” for this reason. 

"Not only because he was perfect for the song,” she continued, “but I also felt like I had him to thank for finding my sound."

The breakout single charted in the top 10 of the Billboard Hot 100 and was the first song from either artist to do so. Miller and Grande also collaborated on My Favorite Part and a remix of the pop anthem Into You.

More details about Ariana Grande and Mark Miller’s relationship explored

Grande and Miller were friends before they began dating in 2016. They made their relationship official with an Instagram post in September 2016. They dated for a while and amicably ended the relationship in May 2018.

In September 2018, Miller died of an accidental overdose. Grande has spoken fondly about Miller since his passing, adding in a 2020 interview with Zane Lowe that she admired the late rapper’s work ethic:

"Nothing was more important,” she said. “Talk about losing track of time and forgetting to eat, [having to] remind yourself to take care of yourself and be a person. He was a person who gave literally every single second of his thought, time, and life to his music.”

On the 10th anniversary of The Way Grande’s first collab with Miller, the former penned an emotional post, adding that she loved him.