Ariana Grande Explains Why Releasing 'The Way' Was Very Freeing

It's hard to envision Ariana Grande without her signature style— thigh-high boots and a long ponytail. However, she recently admitted that she was once scared to show that part of herself.

On Wednesday, Grande spoke with Eric Vetro on his new podcast "Backstage Pass with Eric Vetro" about the journey from being a Nickelodeon star on "Victorious" and "Sam & Cat" — to developing into a recording artist with her own flair. She also spoke about her first collaboration song with Mac Miller, "The Way," and how it changed her life.

"Putting out 'The Way' was very freeing and terrifying for me because I was so convinced that I had to be one thing — because people knew me from my show that I was doing from Nickelodeon and I was playing a character that a lot of people knew me as," Grande told Vetro.

"I was kinda terrified to do what I actually wanted and make the music that I actually wanted to make — and have my brown hair, wear thigh-high boots, [and be] what I wanted to be," she continued. "It was a really incredible turning point for me," she concluded.

In 2011, Grande's musical career skyrocketed when she sang on the soundtrack album for "Victorious." Her sonorous voice caught the attention of record producers as well as fans.

Two years later, Grande released her first studio album, "Yours Truly." Her debut album topped the Billboard charts and the album's lead single "The Way" became a massive bop. Her voice and singing style were compared to Whitney Houston and Mariah Carey, and soon, the red-ponytailed singer became a household name.

Not too long after, Grande released her follow-up record, "My Everything." Her second studio album soared to number one in the United States and in the top 10 in other countries.

Another exciting accomplishment for Grande, which came with the release of "My Everything," was that she earned the distinction of having the most top 10 singles than any other artist in 2014.

During an interview with Billboard, she stated that the new single came together when she met with U.K. producer Harmony Samuels in early 2013 and was presented with the slinky R&B beat, which sampled Big Pun's "Still Not a Player."

"He played me 'The Way,' and I said, 'Oh, that's it. We have to do that one—that's what we have to go with,'" revealed Grande.

"I put my vocal on it, and then Mac and I had been hanging out for a while at that point, and I was like, 'I really want you to feature on this record. What do you think?' And he said, 'Sounds like a hit to me!'"

Grande served as a studio engineer, and Miller, the indie MC whose 2011 debut "Blue Slide Park" hit No. 1 on the Billboard 200 chart, recorded his vocals for "The Way."

The rapper even taught the pop starlet how to manage Pro Tools while they shared studio time. "When he was recording his part, I was baking cookies in the kitchen upstairs, and every time I took a break I came into the studio to bring him a new batch of cookies and something else amazing had been written," Grande recalled. "If you want to motivate Mac Miller to do anything, just bake cookies."

Three years after their "The Way" collab, Grande and Miller reunited for the remix of the singer's track "Into You" in August 2016. After releasing the song, the duo was spotted kissing at a restaurant in California. It wasn't until two months later that Grande confirmed their relationship by making it Instagram official.

For the next two years, Grande and Miller maintained a loving relationship and often displayed their love on social media and in the public's eye.

From an outsider's perspective, they were the perfect couple for each other. But things don't always look as they seem, as Miller's drug use put a strain on their relationship.

However, in May 2018, Grande announced her split from Miller but made it clear that he was still one of her closest friends.

Malcolm James McCormick, known professionally as Mac Miller, was an American rapper and record producer from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

Miller began his career in Pittsburgh's hip hop scene in 2007, at the age of 15. In 2010, he signed a record deal with Independent label Rostrum Records and released his first mixtapes, "K.I.D.S." and "Best Day Ever."

Miller's debut studio album, "Blue Slide Park," became the first independently distributed debut album to top the Billboard charts since 1995.

He struggled with substance abuse, which was often talked about in his lyrics. On September 7, 2018, Miller died from an accidental drug overdose of cocaine, fentanyl, and alcohol in his home. He was aged 26.