Ariana Grande Predicted She Would Marry Pete Davidson After Meeting Him on 'SNL'
Ariana Grande, the nation's favorite donut-licking pop star, might be a psychic. At least when it comes to her own love life, the 25-year-old singer possesses a supernatural gift for identifying her future husband, which she apparently did three years ago following a writers room meeting on the set of SNL. During last night's appearance on The Tonight Show, Grande told Jimmy Fallon when she first met her current fiancé and SNL cast member Pete Davidson she quickly declared to her tour manager, "I'm literally marrying him."
She was joking at the time -- we think -- but her prediction has proven to be accurate. The relationship between the "No Tears Left to Cry" singer and the 24-year-old stand-up has been a tabloid staple since the pair first started dating in May following Davidson's break-up with former girlfriend Cazzie David and Grande's split with rapper Mac Miller. (The complex timeline of all these events has been subject to intense speculation.) Ever since reports surfaced of the couple's engagement in the beginning of June, they've been making headlines.
With today's release of Sweetener, Grande's fourth studio album, it's unlikely the breathless press coverage will stop anytime soon. As previously reported, the record even contains a track titled "Pete Davidson," and though it's really more of an interlude than a full-fledged song, it does contain lines like "you're my soulmate and all that" and "my whole life got me ready for you." As far as romantic tributes to a specific partner go, it's not especially cryptic but it gets the job done.
According to her interview with Fallon, Grande wrote the song a week after they started "hanging out and stuff" and apparently even considered giving it the even blunter title "This is about Pete Davidson." "Why not?" she joked with Fallon. "Be direct."
That unflappable directness, combined with her carefully arranged vocals and ear for beats, makes Sweetener a brisk and vibrant listening experience. Working extensively with R&B virtuoso Pharrell William and the Swedish duo of Max Martin and Ilya, she's crafted a record that bounces from sleek, radio-ready pop like "God is a Woman" to more laid-back, charming inspirational pep-talks like "Successful." It's an album that doesn't dwell in darkness or force you to put on a fake grin.
Grande's confidence as a performer was on display during her Tonight Show appearance. She opened the show with a Roots-backed rendition of "Natural Woman" that paid tribute to the late soul legend Aretha Franklin, who Grande also spoke about during her interview. It was the type of careful, tasteful tribute that could feel disingenuous or calculated from a different pop artist. Grande has a low-key, measured approach that makes her excel in these high-pressure scenarios. She's always in control.
As Davidson himself put it in a recent GQinterview, the two are "learning how to be adults." In the context of the profile, he was talking about settling into the pair's reportedly $16 million apartment in Manhattan, which Davidson says has more beanbags than forks, but he could've been speaking more broadly about their careers. They've both come a long way since that SNL writer's room three years ago. If it was destiny or just a coincidence, they're making the best of the situation.
Sign up here for our daily Thrillist email and subscribe here for our YouTube channel to get your fix of the best in food/drink/fun.