Ariana Grande has laughed off rumours with Nicki Minaj that the Super Bass hitmaker deliberately delayed releasing her album Queen to go head-to-head against her own. The 25-year-old singer has taken to Twitter to reveal that she and Nicki have already discussed the fan speculation, and they’ve both been happy to brush it aside. She wrote on the micro-blogging website: ‘me n nicki laughed at dat (sic)’ The duo are frequent collaborators and Nicki, 35, has also taken to her own account to heap praise on Ariana and to reveal she can’t wait for fans to hear her own new music. Nicki hasn’t released an album since The Pinkprint’ in 2014 and her upcoming record, Queen, has already been pushed back more than once.
In response to Ariana’s tweet, Nicki wrote: ‘I love this woman. Can’t wait for the fans to benefit from all the hard work on both ends. We love your passion. You guys will be VERY happy. Trust. That’s all I’ll say [winky face enoji] (sic)’
Ariana’s new album, Sweetener, is set for release on August 17, which is the same date as Queen. Meanwhile, Ariana recently admitted she’s made a conscious effort to be as authentic as possible with her new music, regardless of whether people like it or not. She said: ‘You get to that point when you have to make a choice and you’re just kind of like, “Well, I would much rather be singing songs that mean so much more to me for an audience of people that fuck with me energetically and are all on the same page as me emotionally and as a human being, than perform for an audience that wouldn’t necessarily be friends with me in high school’.
‘I really like that people are being like, “Oh OK, yes or no” you know what I mean? Take it or leave it because it’s who I am, it’s fine and if you don’t like, that’s OK.’
Ariana Grande started dating Pete Davidson just weeks after she announced her split from Mac Miller – and just weeks after that, the pair were engaged. So it’s no surprise Mac describes his ex’s sprint to the aisle as ‘strange’. The 26-year-old has admitted that while he finds Ariana’s engagement to Pete odd, he has nothing but ‘positive energy’ for his ex-girlfriend of two years.
Speaking to Zane Lowe on Apple Music’s Beats 1 Radio, Mac – real name Malcolm James McCormick – said: ‘It’s strange. Like, the whole thing is a little strange but it’s not negative. It’s just a part of something that’s going to continue to help make me who I am. ‘You know, it’s all positive energy. I am happy for her and moving forward with her life just as I’m sure she is with me.’ That’s a pretty mature way to handle your ex getting engaged a month after they split from you. Ariana, 25, and Mac confirmed they had split up after two years together in a statement released on 10 May.
Less than two weeks later, Ariana and Saturday Night Live comedian Pete were dating and getting matching tattoos, and on 12 June, it was reported that the couple were already engaged. Dang! rapper Mac also told Zane how his relationship with Ari made him realise how bonkers social media can be.
Permission needs to be granted in order for one artist to use another’s music (otherwise a world of legal pain usually awaits), and that can sometimes be a pretty time-consuming process. That’s what Nicki Minaj is living through right now, anyway, with the rapper revealing that one of the songs on her forthcoming new album Queen features an as-yet-uncleared Tracy Chapman sample.