Exclusive: Ariana Grande Talks 2nd Album, Mariah Carey Comparisons, & More

Published: Friday 29th Nov 2013 by Sam

Pinned: Posts Resume As Normal Below

As breakout stars go, they don’t much bigger nor shine as bright as Ariana Grande.

Since bursting on the scene early this year with debut single ‘The Way’, the 20-year-old has gone on to enjoy blockbuster success with its parent album ‘Yours Truly’. Indeed, the hit-filled set appears to be the gift that keeps giving, spawning a number of chart smashes (including latest single ‘Right There’), a sell-out tour, and critical acclaim aplenty.

That Grape Juice recently sat down with the soulful Pop powerhouse, who readily dished on her phenomenal year, upcoming new album, those Mariah Carey comparisons, and more. As ever, we ask the questions you really want answers to!

Hit ‘PLAY’ to watch our interview with Ariana Grande!

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Ariana’s album ‘Yours Truly’ is available now!

Single ‘Right There (ft. Big Sean)’ hits iTunes (UK) December 2nd!

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Your thoughts?

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  1. Real Talk November 29, 2013

    I love Ariana Grande but her sound is alot similar
    to Mariah’s usual R&B joints. Baby I for example
    is a 2013 version of Fantasy. Thats Just my opinion
    but very talented girl and love how they sampled
    crush on you in right here.

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  2. MUSIC 21 November 29, 2013

    I just gonna say this once she can sing but their will only be one beyonce and one mariah no one will ever replace her this generation may tried to make her the next mariah but know not happening it’s not hate many have notice that she sounds too much like MARIAH moreover God blessed her with a voice but stealing someone eles music sound is wrong it won’t get u far because many are saying she sound to much like mariah she needs to find her own way and how long are they gonna have her rocking this 12 year old look ? I would like her more if she be her self because she seems to nice I just don’t know about her those be the ones with the evilest ways just saying

  3. TaylorSwift November 29, 2013

    I love how she has ended mooriah fading career. Thanks Queen Ariana

  4. Mrs. Carter November 29, 2013

    She needs to find her own identity with this album. She can’t be known as Mariah’s carbon copy. She needs to come into her own. Also on stage she needs to get loose she is way too stiff when performing.

  5. DYNASTY November 29, 2013

    Well, she isn’t the most eloquent speaker is she?

    Anyway, she is beautiful and very talented. One day soo, I hope, she will have her own TRUE artistic and musical identity.

    By the way, the Lambs love you Ariana, most of us do… Ignore the fake Mariah fans who only use the Lambs name to bash you.

    CONGRATS GWOOORL.

  6. TaylorSwift November 29, 2013

    she’s is pretty
    She’s talented
    She’s very Relevant
    I love her 🙂

    Mariah wishes she could sing like Ariana right now.

    Thanks Ariana for ending basic mooriahs career. Trololllollllll 🙁 no other the basic lambs hate her

    • ILOVEJAMESDEAN November 30, 2013

      Haha. Poor Taylor Swift at her best vocal condition can’t even top Mooriah’s vocals. PATHETIC.

      • mariah still on fire December 3, 2013

        Truth truth truth preachhhh !!!
        Taylor s*** cant sing for swift ha ha :0)

  7. HOTSTUFF November 29, 2013

    U FORGOT TO ASK HER WHY IS “YOURS TRULY” COLLECTING DUST ON SHELVES ??? #FLOP

  8. HOTSTUFF November 29, 2013

    Remember when they said that Leona Lewis was the next Mariah ?…… *sips tea*

  9. HOTSTUFF November 29, 2013

    Oh please gurl your biggest inspiration is LEGENDARIAH CAREY ! i can’t deal with this lying ass FRAUD and her PR team. ENJOY your 15min H**!

  10. HOTSTUFF November 29, 2013

    but you stand for RIHSUS though so i like u a little bit more now i wont be bashing u anymore…. i hope on album #2 u will find your sound &identity.

  11. mr.m November 29, 2013

    A Taylor Switf fan taking about singing? what a joke
    Mariah talking voice >>> taylor hardest try to hit a note
    There nothing more basic than Taylor and her childish music
    have a seat kid ..

  12. TaylorSwift November 29, 2013

    Hotstuff you stan for a un talented fraud who can’t perform to save her life that Diamonds performance on AMA was basic and weak!
    Ariana is a real talent… Ariana > dirty w**** rihanna

  13. TaylorSwift November 29, 2013

    Taylor has outsold Mariahs last album and singles..
    Taylor will have a 100 M+ Tour, with USA stadiums. Something mooriah wishes she had.
    Taylor has 12 AMAs and is going to be a legend pretty much soon.
    Taylor is a country/Pop singer she doesn’t care about hitting high notes and all. Goodbye

    • Common Sense November 29, 2013

      You really shouldn’t be trash talking other singers when you stan for absolute garbage. Taylor Swift couldn’t sing a song in key to save her life. We won’t even discuss her tacky basic songs.
      Mariah is a legend who probably doesn’t even know your slutty fave exists. Get back to me when Taylor sells 200+ albums. Meanwhile Mariah will continue to cash her “All I Want for Christmas is You” checks.

  14. Kiss My A** November 29, 2013

    From a beyonce Stan I JUST CAN’T

  15. Lolz November 29, 2013

    She’s cute but its very obvious her team have tried to spin it on its head and make it seem like she has bigger inspirations because people were clocking her cloning tea. Mariah is clearly her biggest inspiration.

  16. Nichole November 29, 2013

    Girl, we all know Mariah is your biggest influence, and inspiration.

    Ariana’s own fans know she need to find her own identity, and she has received a lot of negative backlash. Which is why her album isn’t flying off the shelves.

  17. Common Sense November 29, 2013

    This girl can sing whatever tune she wants, but that AMA performance was a clone of ANY Mariah performance from 1990-1992.

  18. LA LA November 29, 2013

    I love Ariana, hopefully she doesn’t turn heel on us and follow the footsteps of the non talented Miley Cyrus.

    It amazes me still TGJ isn’t onto RCA Records newest artist Tinashe yet. She just released a new mixtape called “Black Water” and is working on her debut album now for 2014. She is amazing!
    http://youtu.be/68MrrahuzGA

  19. Donnell November 29, 2013

    I don’t think Mariah is a big inspiration for her. I think when she recorded the way and everybody realized she sounded like Mariah, her team tried to push for that sound. All of her songs before the way had a much different sound.

  20. cocobutta November 29, 2013

    She looks so damn young.

    Wooo Sam I know you wasn’t feeling that Rihanna answer but HELLO she is the one out of those who Ariana would out sing so she picked carefully & plus she likes Ri as most her age group does.

    I do like that that she has various tastes of music and stans for India Arie all the time.
    At the end of the day she has Mariah ish tendencies but she very right in knowing her is not as broad as that.

    Girl can sing & she will get better!

  21. MISHKA November 29, 2013

    I like this girl.

    She has skills and some identity. Of course she’s being marketed as a “Disney Mariah”, just like Rihanna was the “Island Beyonce”, Mariah was a “white Whitney”, Destiny’s Child an “urban Envogue” and Toni Braxton a “S*** Anita Baker”.

    It’s all good to clown an established star to launch your career.It’s all part of getting attention. I have no doubt Ariana will find her own trademarks, people have already forgot she’s on Nickolodeon.

    I foresee she’s a firm contender to win the Grammy for Best New Artist. She’s legit.

  22. Honeymoon Avenue November 29, 2013

    This was a great interview but it was the same old questions. We already know how she feels about Mariah Carey comparisons, its been asked 10 million times. The truth is any girl with a whistle register is compared to Mariah Carey. Mariah didn’t invent the whistle register so I don’t see why people say she copies her style of singing. As for musical sound alot of artist sang that 90s R&B/Pop sound. If Ariana was blessed with a different voice no one would compare them. Christina Aguilera got the same comparisons to Mariah even though they have completely different styles. But Xtina has a whistle register so people compared.

    As far as album sales go Yours Truly is doing great. Keep in mind that she’s a Nickelodeon star and that will turn off alot of listeners quickly. If you compare Yours Truly to albums released by Demi Lovato and Selena Gomez, she’s doing better. Compare it to the debut releases of Zendaya and Bridget Midler and she’s crushing them. Not to mention Yours Truly rocketed up to #14 on iTunes after the AMAs performance and we all know most of her album sales are digital. She’s doing just fine.

    • Sara June 30, 2014

      I think Ariana has a beautiful voice as an artist and contributes a lot to the music industry today. But her whistle notes aren’t as as strong as Mariah’s; you can tell that they aren’t as developed. I’m excited to see what her new album will sound like and see where she’ll go with her career! (ps i know a lot of mariah carey’s lambd from my fan page and most of them adore ariana so the stereotype that only lambs hate her is wrong lol! I think that most of her hate pages are Jai Brooks fans or people upset about her weight)

  23. Grande The Way November 29, 2013

    The only hate Ariana gets is from Mariah Carey fans. No one else has a problem with her sound. People saying she has to find her own image need to realize she already has. None of her “contemporaries” are doing an urban/pop 90s throwback sound. To her audience, this sound is new and fresh. You have to realize that most of her fans were born in the late 90s or early 2000s. They probably can’t name 5 Mariah songs. As someone who is a fan of both, the comparisons stop at the production. Two different images and two different styles of singing. Ariana has talent and more people are realizing that daily. She’s on the right path

    • Sara June 30, 2014

      I have a fan page of Mariah and everyone including myself loves her music!! I have seem some Instagram hate pages about her and most of them are Jai Brooks fans or are upset about her weight

  24. BaddieRaz November 29, 2013

    Oh come one we all know Mariahs is your biggest inspiration! And you chose to duet with Rihanna out of Beyonce and Mariah WTF!!!!! :O :O She must’ve said that so she can outshine her!

  25. muzicfan November 29, 2013

    Ariana does NOT have a whistle register nor does Christina. There is a difference between technique when and individual can play with that upper range and do all sorts of things with it and another individual just screams really loud.

    Ariana just admitted she does NOT have the range like Mariah Low or High. Ariana is not even Gold yet and her fans are talking bit shiit.

  26. pon_de November 29, 2013

    This chick needs to stop with these games. She got famous doing youtube covers of Emotions and AIWFCIY and go back 3 months to her biggest inspiration being Mariah but now its C-list singer India Aire and somebody I can’t be bothered to wikipedia??? Gurl, stop! They cloned Mariah’s career down to naming the album Daydreamin but for Jesus took the wheel. She seems like a sweet girl but don’t try to pull the okie doke now and backtrack your single white female steez….we all know Mariah wrote the career guidebook for you!

  27. SAM LOVES RIHANNA November 29, 2013

    Mariah’s debut yielded FOUR #1 Billboard Hot 100 hits while competing against Whitney, Janet, Paula, Celine, Amy, Vanessa, Madonna and Jody. Ariana churned out only ONE top ten single from her debut, and her competition is only Rihanna, Beyonce, Gaga, Katy, Kelly, Pink and Alicia. #yawn

    • ILOVEJAMESDEAN November 30, 2013

      I love this comment!!!! HAHAHA. So true.

  28. Legendtina November 29, 2013

    Delusion at its finest. I will never understand how pressed and bitter Lambs truly are. Both Christina and Ariana possess whistle registers. She said her range isn’t as wide as Mariah’s not that she doesn’t have a whistle register. How many times has Ariana praised Mariah? She even did it in this interview. Lambs need to get over it. Its ironic that you guys call Ariana irrelevant and a flop but you check for all Ariana’s interviews and keep posted on her album sales. She can kiss Mariah’s ass till the cows come home and you will all still be pressed and bitter. Pathetic. Ariana doesn’t seemed bothered by the hate so continue to do so. She has a promising career ahead of her. Get use to it Lambs.

  29. Legendtina November 29, 2013

    I fail to see how this is remotely relevant to interview above.

  30. BeyRihStan November 29, 2013

    The Lambs are incredibly annoying when it comes to this girl. Let Ariana be great and go buy “The Art Of Letting Go” from iTunes.

    • Guest November 30, 2013

      Woo cuz lord knows that song needs some assistance!!!!

  31. jake.ubb November 29, 2013

    She actually has a great personality and all of the interviews I have seen of her she speaks very well. It is nice to see someone that is passionate about music and have her head on straight! I personally loved Yours Truly, but I am hoping for her to continue to forge a mature sound and change up the look with Album #2!

  32. ArtPoop November 29, 2013

    WW sales: @LadyGaga, ARTPOP 132,000 (743,000 total).

    1.2MILLION??? #LIES

  33. ratedx(love is beautiful) November 29, 2013

    I’m sorry I have to laugh whenever I see some delusional people claiming this girl is making mariah (a legend, not icon, legend)irrelevant…

    nothing, nobody is going to make mariah irrelevant, the broad has been around for decades, diamond albums, she is worth more than the basic broads who needs to tour to be worth half what she is worth..

    unlike the basic broads yall stan for, mariah actually wrote the majority of her hits..hence her making millions off of them after decades after decades

  34. ratedx(love is beautiful) November 29, 2013

    the real mariah fans are not threaten by s***….

    mariah doesnt need to have another hit song, album or tour ever in her life….she’s a legend..legend are born not not created….

    mariah has never had a major tour, and yet the money is in touring, not album sales..so explain to me why she is worth more more than all the broads who has to tour every year?

    like i said, we are not threaten by s***….

  35. Lovebird (Britney Jean – 03.12.13) November 29, 2013

    1. She has given Mariah her props
    2. She has superior music knowledge
    3. She likes Rihanna

    I will now be ordering my Ariana Grande stan card. I now officially love this girl.

    **Goes to purchase another copy of “Yours truly”**

  36. put your EBT card away, and pull that STAn card out h**! November 29, 2013

    B**** who do you think you are fooling? This little flop know damn well Mariah carey is her big sister at the boys & girls club! She wanna be her, she want too album sales too but that album sitting next to gagas collecting flop dust! F****** flop imitator, and flop slayer! ( signed yours truly!)

  37. Dev November 30, 2013

    This interview is a fraud. The majority of her videos i saw on youtube are Mariah songs. Also, people need to study the whistle note, and as mentioned i am yet to hear Ariana or Christina do a whistle note! High falsetto yes, whistle no. I’m glad that she knows that her and Mariah have different tones, maybe now people will re tune their ears.
    Beyonce a big dive…. Ha! I know this chick is high.

  38. Mya November 30, 2013

    And yet in all her AMA interviews when asked who she was looking forward to seeing she did not once say Rihanna. Her PR team is working overtime so she does not look predictable.

  39. BOOBIE December 1, 2013

    The only people that think she’s a Mooriah carbon copy are people that don’t buy her music. She definitely sounds like Mooriah in high register, but she sounds NOTHING like her otherwise. Mooriah aint selling anymore albums anyway. She’s tired. It’s time for a new vocal powerhouse.

    BYE.

  40. truth December 1, 2013

    I am a lamb. An original one at that. I am also a lover of music and I like Ariana. With that said, after listening to Yours Truly, she clearly sings in a style that Mariah is known for & it is just not in the whistle notes. They do not SOUND alike, you can clearly hear the difference in tone of voices, but style? vocal arrangements, harmonies, melodies, and even her runs are all Mariah Carey. That is not hate but a fact. Again, I love her album and play it all the time .
    If you need a little help hearing the similarities, I’ll help
    Right There & Daydreamin’- go and listen the Day Dream album.
    Tattooed Heart & Piano- go listen to the Emotions album
    these songs all sound like they could of been on the B-Sides to Mariah singles back in the day. (Dont read that as hate) just letting you now how people heard rare songs. before internet, we had the B-side to a cassette single. There they would have a song that did not make the album (sometimes)

  41. J.L.O December 2, 2013

    I loved her AMA performance so looked for more info about her. She has a great voice and some nice songs but I’ll be honest it was a big turn off when I saw how she got with Nathan from the Wanted.

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  43. dsfsdfdsff December 2, 2013

    ggg

  44. JOHNVIDAL December 2, 2013

    So she basically admitted she´s like Mariah Carey (she was really struggling to say otherwise)only that Mariah is way better in every possible way. Ok then.

  45. ABC December 3, 2013

    Ariana slays. This little girl has Mooriah stans pressed because no one talks about her performances anymore. Ariana’s AMA slayed any Mariah performance from the 2000s. Deal.

  46. Touché December 3, 2013

    @ Truth, Your name says it all.

  47. Touché December 3, 2013

    Anyway, I can already tell how her career will play out. Time and time again I see artists like her ( i.e. Leona Lewis) in the same position who’s careers end up fading quickly. She needs to bring something fresh to the table if she wants a long, successful, and unforgettable career. Also, a message to you bitter stans bashing mimi stans: no one is pressed so stop with the delusional rants.

  48. Junior in Jamaica December 3, 2013

    Were you expecting her to shade Rihanna? LOL.

  49. Kareem Williams December 23, 2013

    I try to play the video but it would not play. Can someone fix it please.

  50. Kareem Williams December 23, 2013

    I got it to work. That chick is a star and she is the next big thing to hit the marketplace.

  51. Ciara January 9, 2014

    danng yall real jealous of Ariana or naaww?? waab leave her alone cuz she doing her thing and personally to me she IS better than Mariah. Yall just madd cuz yall not famous so shuut de hell up!!!!

  52. Ciara January 9, 2014

    oook maybe she likes mariah music..biig deal

  53. Ciara January 9, 2014

    waaaab you madd or naww?? cuz it sounds like you are and nobvody said anything about her stealing someone voice or music or trynna replace or generation sooo shut de hell up

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