Ariana Grande finally addresses her puzzling viral ‘voice change’ clip: ‘I’ve always done this’
Ariana Grande. (Jamie McCarthy/Getty)
The change in pitch of Ariana Grande’s voice left fans puzzled after a clip of her vocal adjustments went viral, however, the star has now responded.
The 30-year-old singer-songwriter and actress appeared on Gossip Girl actor Penn Badgley’s comedy podcast, Podcrushed, and was teasing the possibility of new music following the recent release of her seventh studio album, Eternal Sunshine.
The podcast footage sees the “The Boy Is Mine” hitmaker speaking in a deeper voice before she shifts into a higher-pitched register, easily flipping into the higher tone as she continues the conversation.
This particular Ariana Grande voice change section was clipped and posted to TikTok, where it went viral.
In the comments section, the whistle-tone singer weighed in and squashed the theories about why her voice pitch changed so drastically and attributed it to habit.
“(It’s) habit (speaking like this for two years) and also vocal health,” she wrote in a comment.
She continued: “I intentionally change my vocal placement (high / low) often depending on how much singing i’m doing. i’ve always done this BYE”
Fans rushed to support Grande’s statement, noting that she has been switching to a higher pitch since 2013 to keep her vocal cords healthy and well-adjusted for performances.
The Nickelodeon star must have had to keep her vocals sharp recently – she is playing the Good Witch Glinda, alongside Cynthia Erivo‘s Elphaba, in the two-part movie adaptation of Wicked.
Wicked is set to be released on November 27, 2024. The sequel, Wicked Part Two, is set to be released on November 27, 2025.
Ariana Grande’s recent voice change video is not the first time people have been confused about her accent and image.
Grande has previously come under fire over her supposed “Blaccent” – the imitation of Black English by non-Black people.
She has also long been linked to Blackfishing – a term coined by Toronto cultural critic Wanna Thompson describing a non-Black person who tans or uses cosmetics to appear as Black or racially ambiguous.
Grande was spotlighted as a celebrity who has repeatedly over-tanned so that her skin appears darker than it is. Similar accusations were memorably made about ex-Little Mix singer Jess Nelson.
The “Blaccent” accusations date back to 2016 when she was criticised for cultural appropriation.
In an interview with Billboard, looking at photos of her young self, she said: “I’m like b***h, that’s my cookie, that’s my juice, okay. Carry on. Thank you next, that’s what this baby picture says.”
Some claimed that Grande was deliberating trying to sound like a Black woman with her use of language.
However, others have refuted these sorts of claims, pointing out that some of the most circulated images used to accuse Ariana Grande of Blackfishing have supposedly been edited.
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