Ariana Grande: A Timeline of Tragedy and Triumph
Anyone who has a Twitter or Instagram knows that this has been a tough couple of years for Ariana Grande. Known for being a Nickelodeon star on the kids show Victorious and Sam & Cat, in addition to having six top-five singles on the US Billboard Hot 100 like “Side to Side,” “No Tears Left To Cry,” and “Thank you, Next,” the star has become a household name for her immense talent as well as the tragedies that have affected her over the recent years. From the Manchester bombing, to failed relationships and the death of an ex-boyfriend, no one can argue that Grande has been through a lot.
Grande held a concert on May 22, 2017, in Manchester, United Kingdom for her “Dangerous Woman Tour.” While thousands of adoring fans were making their way out of the venue after the concert, a suicide bomber detonated an explosive device in the arena. The bombing caused 23 fatalities and over 500 injuries — the youngest victim being just eight years old.
The trauma of the situation caused her to suspend her tour, making plans to hold a benefit concert for the victims and survivors of the attack. Grande held a concert on June 4 at the Old Trafford Cricket Ground in Manchester, bringing out acts like Katy Perry, Mac Miller (her then boyfriend) and Miley Cyrus. Because of her charity, the city council of Manchester awarded her as the first honorary citizen of the city.
While she continued her “Dangerous Woman Tour” after the bombing, Grande dealt with post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and anxiety. In an interview with British Vogue, Grande stated that she did not think that she would ever be able to talk about the bombing without crying.
“It’s hard to talk about because so many people have suffered such sever, tremendous loss,” said Grande. “I feel like I shouldn’t even be talking about my own experience — like I shouldn’t even say anything.”
The singer seemed to be in a good place going into 2018 when she dropped the first single, “No Tears Left To Cry,” of her album “Sweetener.” To the devastation of many ‘Maciana’ fans (people who shipped Mac Miller and Ariana Grande together) she and Mac Miller broke up in May 2018 due to what seemed Miller’s struggle with sobriety.
Despite the rumors, she posted to her Instagram story about how much she respected Miller and how much she valued him as a friend and fellow music artist. Shortly after their breakup, Miller crashed his car while under the influence and fled the scene. In response to his actions the singer tweeted, “Pls take care of yourself.”
After her breakup with Miller, Grande shocked the world with her sudden relationship with Pete Davidson, known for his work as a comedian on shows like MTV’s “Girl Code,” “Guy Code,” “Wild N Out,” and NBC’s “Saturday Night Live” (SNL). While to many fans the relationship seemed like an odd pairing, Grande claimed that she knew he was the one way before the beginning of their romance.
On “The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon,” Grande said that when she performed on SNL, she said to her manager, “I’m marrying 100 percent. I’m literally marrying him.”
While they never ended up exchanging numbers or became even so much as friends at the time, Grande claimed that she had “the biggest crush in the whole world on him the whole time, like forever. Like, my friends used to make fun of me for it, all that stuff.”
They began dating in May 2018, a month after her breakup with Miller. What seemed like a fast fling soon became a serious romance as they got engaged less than a month after their relationship started. She even wrote a song on “Sweetener” named “Pete Davidson.”
While, Grande and Davidson seemed serious about lasting forever — going so far as to get matching tattoos — their relationship came to an abrupt stop after news broke about Grande’s ex.
On September 7, 2018, Miller, 26, died of a drug overdose in his home in Studio City, CA. He was found by a friend around noon that day who immediately called for an ambulance, but Miller was pronounced dead by authorities upon arrival.
It was later announced that Miller died due to an accidental drug overdose of alcohol, fentanyl and cocaine. Due to previous rumors of Grande breaking up with Miller due to his issues with substance abuse, the public looked to Grande for comment.
On September 14, Grande took to Instagram, posting a video of Miller. In the caption she stated:
“I adored you from the day I met you when I was nineteen and I always will. I can’t believe you aren’t here anymore. I really can’t wrap my head around it. We talked about this. So many times. I’m so mad, I’m so sad I don’t know what to do. You were my dearest friend. For so long. Above anything else. I’m really sorry I couldn’t fix or take your pain away. I really wanted to. The kindest, sweetest soul with demons he never deserved. I hope you’re okay now. Rest.”
While many fans took to social media to give their condolences and share their favorite pictures and videos of Miller and Grande, others decided to share their opinion on her impact on him. Some blamed her and her new relationship for Miller’s death, while others blamed her for not being there for him — that maybe her presence would have saved his life.
One Twitter user posted, “She milkin this s**t bruh,” responding to a picture that she liked of her and Miller. She responded, “I pray you never have to deal with anything like this ever and I’m sending you peace and love.”
If the loss of her ex was not enough, it was announced on October 14, 2018, that Grande and Davidson called off their engagement. When TMZ broke the news, they stated that a source close to the couple said that the split was a mutual decision and that the timing of their relationship and engagement just was not right. Fans noticed that the tattoos the couple got together had been covered with new designs, making the split look more serious than originally thought.
In December, rumors got out that Davidson was not in a good place following the split. This rumor became a reality when Davidson posted on Instagram that he was not happy and that, “I really don’t want to be on this earth anymore. I’m doing my best to stay here for you, but I actually don’t know how much longer I can last.”
After that, Davidson deleted his account. Grande then tweeted indirectly at Davidson that she was downstairs and that she would be there for him if he needed someone. With this announcement, Davidson replied by alerting his security of her impending arrival with orders to block the buildings entrance, so she could not walk inside.
In response to everything that happened in her personal life in 2018, Grande hinted at a new single, “Thank U, next.” She posted the tweet, with the song title in addition to some lyrics, “Got so much love…got so much patience…I’ve learned from the pain…and turnt out amazin…say I’ve loved and I’ve lost…but that’s not what I see cause look what I got…look what u taught me…and for that I say thank u, next.”
“‘Thank U, Next’ is a solid bop,” said Jamie Haas, 21. When asked about how she has addressed her personal life, Haas said, “I have to applaud how she has handled so much drama and tragedy in her life with so much grace. I think people see her vulnerability.”
Grande dropped the song at midnight on November 3 and quickly started posting hints for the music video which seemed to incorporate iconic characters and scenes from movies like “13 Going on 30,” “Legally Blonde,” “Bring It On,” and “Mean Girls.” The video and song addressed her relationships over the last year and how each of her experiences taught her something that made her stronger.
“I think ‘Thank U, Next’ is a great song because it’s not bitter,” said Becca Light, 20. “I thought the video was funny and very creative and good for people young people because, it had references we understood, and it showcases strong women.”
In all after a hard couple of years, it’s clear that Grande had triumphed over all the tragedy that she has had to endure.
“I think after everything she’s been through, she’s come out even stronger with even better music,” said Light. “I don’t think most people could turn all of her heartbreak into music as good as hers. I think she’s very strong and inspiring.”
After all she’s been through it doesn’t look like Grande is going anywhere and despite her recent losses, she still has a lot more to say and a lot more music to make in the future.
