Ariana Grande Addresses Criticism Over Viral Voice Change on Penn Badgley's Podcast

Addressing the viral moment, Ariana Grande took to the comments section on social media to explain her voice change.

Ariana Grande made headlines recently after a noticeable shift in her speaking voice during an appearance on the Podcrushed show hosted by Penn Badgley.

The "Thank U, Next" singer was a guest on Badgley's podcast last week, where the two discussed their backgrounds as former child actors. Grande also addressed the recent revelations about alleged disturbing behind-the-scenes behavior at Nickelodeon, the network that helped launch her career.

However, a specific moment in the interview caught the internet's attention: Grande's voice suddenly transitioned into a higher, whispery tone. The clip quickly went viral on social media, sparking speculation that the singer may have picked up the vocal habit from her upcoming role as Glinda in the movie adaptation of Wicked.

Addressing the viral moment, Grande took to the comments section to explain her voice change. "It's a habit (speaking like this for two years) and also vocal health," she wrote, adding that she "intentionally" changes her "vocal placement" depending on how much singing she's doing as a technique to preserve her voice.

The 30-year-old emphasized that it's something she has "always done," accompanied by a smiling emoji.

Ariana Grande Voice Change Comment - TikTok

"The Boy Is Mine" singer may have concocted a love potion in her latest music video with Badgley, but her boyfriend, Ethan Slater, doesn't need a magic potion or spell to make her fall for him. A source recently told ET Grande is already "in love."

"Ariana is genuinely so happy with Ethan," the source told ET. "She feels very comfortable with him and is in love."

But this isn't a fling for the Wicked co-stars. "Their relationship is serious, and their bond is organic," the source continued. "Ethan treats Ariana super well and knows her so well. It's not about external stuff with them. They just have a great time together and appreciate their time with each other."

This echoes what a source told ET in March.

"They're looking towards the future and everything that's in store for them as a couple and as individuals," the source said. "Things have been getting more serious."

Ariana Grande and Ethan Slater - Elsa/Getty Images

Earlier this month, Grande was spotted enjoying a date night with her boyfriend, catching the first game of the Stanley Cup Finals in Sunrise, Florida. The Eternal Sunshine singer was all smiles next to the 32-year-old actor.

Grande's brother, Frankie, can see how happy Slater makes his sister, recently calling him a "wonderful guy."

"I love him, he's a very sweet guy. I've been a fan of him ever since seeing him in SpongeBob [the musical]," he told Too Fab of Slater last week. "And I got to interview him when I was doing the SpongeBob SquarePants podcast. And the Broadway community is a tight-knit family."

He continued, "He's very sweet. He's very, very, very sweet. I just, I adore him. I, honestly I've always just said this, all I want is for my sister to be happy and when she's happy, I'm happy. So I'm very happy."

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