Ariana Grande is giving fans credit for their “bullying,” just this once.
During a Q&A to support the release of the 10th-anniversary edition of her debut studio album, Yours Truly, Grande revealed that fans were “right” to “bully” the original cover art for the album.
“Mother, what made you change the cover from this to the released one?” a fan asked, referring to the original planned cover, which depicts Grande sitting atop a mound of pink flowers against a pink background.
The final cover art is a stark difference, showing Grande in black and white with only the title in color.
Republic
“Well, it’s horrible,” Grande replied to the fan’s question.
“It’s not horrible… It’s, um… You were right. You guys got very angry when you saw it. I was very sad about that, and I changed it. But you were right!” she explained.
“But you’re not always right. Your bullying has been consistent for the past 10 years. So there’s that. You hated it, you were like, ‘This is f—ing ugly, Mom, change it.’ So, I did,” Grande continued, adding that fans’ opinions sometimes “work” but also sometimes “leaves me with wounds that make me question everything I’ve done since.”
READ MORE: Unreleased ’90s-Inspired Ariana Grande Song Is Going Viral
Grande also addressed her unreleased track “Pink Champagne,” which she performed on tour at the time of her album’s release but never put on an album.
“I think that was one of my favorites from the era of me being caught in between Cat [her Victorious character] and Ari,” she shared.
The pop star also admitted that she wishes she released “Honeymoon Avenue” and “You Will Never Know” as singles during the Yours Truly era.
Plus, she revealed that fan-favorite track “Tattooed Heart” was actually a song she wrote by herself in her bedroom at age 17. She said she then took the song to producers who “brought it to life” and “made it so beautiful.”
“That’s the only song on the album that I wrote by myself. I do love it so much, and it feels like a really important one. I am very proud of it,” Grande said.
Watch the Q&A video from TikTok, below:
Scrapped Albums That Were Never Released
From Prince to Beyoncé, some of the biggest artists in the world have scrapped entire albums. Below, check out 25 albums that never saw the light of day.