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Ariana Grande is giving credit to her late ex Mac Miller for helping her find her sound.
Grande made a rare comment about Miller, whose real name is Malcolm McCormick, during a masterclass at Chapman University in California in a conversation with The Hollywood Reporter. During the chat, she shared how "really thankful" she was to her ex, whom she dated for two years before they split in 2018, for encouraging her to "do the brave thing" and create "R&B influenced pop music," per Harper's Bazaar.
Grande noted that Miller's impact on her sound was one reason she wanted to collaborate with him on her 2013 breakout single "The Way." The track ended up being both artists' first top-10 song on the Billboard Hot 100, peaking at No. 9, People reports. They also collaborated on a 2016 remix of her song "Into You" as well as his 2016 track "My Favorite Part."
"That's also a part of why I was so eager to ask [Miller] to be a part of it," she said. "Not only because he was perfect for the song, but I also felt like I had him to thank for finding my sound."
Grande and Miller went public with their relationship in 2016 before splitting two years later, months before the rapper died of an accidental overdose on September 7, 2018, at the age of 26. Multiple people have since been arrested in connection with his death and sentenced to prison.