Ariana Grande, who recently debuted at No. 10 on the Billboard Hot 100 with her single “The Way,” says that she’s “almost done” with her upcoming debut album, due out later this year on Republic Records.
On the red carpet at the Radio Disney Music Awards (April 27), the singer/actress reflected on her top 10 achievement, saying it was “unreal” and that it “was not expected at all.” The song, which features Mac Miller, sold 219,000 downloads in its first week, according to Nielsen SoundScan. Its sales currently stand at 421,000.
“I can’t even express how happy I am, how grateful I am, to be taken seriously as an artist,” Grande says. “I’m doing it for my fans, and now this huge thing has come from it and it’s exciting. I’m very happy.”
Her debut set is largely produced by Harmony Samuels, who also produced the entirety of Fantasia’s new album (“Side Effects of You”) and has cuts on the upcoming efforts from Kelly Rowland and Michelle Williams.
Grande says that Samuels has “done more than 50% of my album. He’s incredible, and we do have a great chemistry. He just knows how to write for my voice, and where my voice sits the best.”
Tthe album has “throwback R&B, soulful, but poppy” and that it “makes you happy” and “makes you wanna move,” she told Billboard.
The 19-year old star has been very busy as of late: recording the album, doing a radio tour, filming her upcoming Nickelodeon TV show “Sam & Cat” and doing lots of press and publicity. She says that recently, it all got to be a bit “overwhelming” and that she was “almost not enjoying it for a second.” But, some words of wisdom from a veteran pop star helped her through the craziness.
“I actually got an incredible piece of advice from Michelle Williams from Destiny’s Child,” Grande says.
She met Williams at Samuels’ studio, where they were both recording music for their respective albums. Williams just — as Grande puts it — “laid it out” for her.
“You need to make time every day to have 20 minutes of quiet time,” Williams told her, according to Grande. “You need to have lunch. You cannot skip a meal. They need to work it into your schedule. You need to eat, you need to sleep, you need to rest, and you need to be happy and enjoy it.”