Ariana's Quotes About Her Dad & Their Evolving Relationship Say A Lot
If you turned on the TV to watch the 2020 Grammy Awards red carpet on Jan. 26, you might have seen Ariana Grande and her parents posing for photos. It was a moment that sent Twitter into complete chaos, seeing as it was the first time ever that Ari and both her parents made a public appearance together. You see, Grande and her dad had somewhat of a rocky relationship for much of her life in the public eye. But the Grammys appearance showed they've definitely got a lot of love for each other through thick and thin. Grande is one of the most transparent artists out there, and Ariana Grande's quotes about her dad give a lot of insight into their evolving relationship.
Grande's dad, Edward Butera, and her mom, Joan Grande, split when Ari was eight years old.
While Grande has never specified exactly what caused the rift between her and her dad, it seems like her parents divorce was tough on her. In a July 2014 interview with Seventeen, she revealed she and her father weren't on speaking terms at the time.
"It's private, but it happened last year, Ari said, reflecting on when she and her father lost contact. It took me so long to be okay with it," she explained. "The thing that got me there was embracing the fact that that I am made up of half my dad, and a lot of my traits come from him. So much of me comes from my father, and for so long, I didn't like that about myself. I had to accept that it's okay not to get along with somebody and still love them."
Two years later, she confirmed she and her father still didn't see each other much, during a 2016 interview with Kiss FM. When asked "mommy or daddy?" during a round of "this or that?" she admitted she's much closer to her mom.
"Mommy, but I love my dad. My parents are divorced. I never get to see my dad because he lives in Florida," she said. Her comment was made around the 4:20 mark.
It appeared the two were on better terms when Father's Day rolled around in 2017, and Ari shared a sweet tribute to him. At the time, she wrote: "Happy Father's Day. I love you."
When Ari dropped her chart-topping hit "Thank U, Next" in Novemeber 2018, she addressed past drama with her dad in the lyrics.
"One day I'll walk down the aisle/Holding hands with my mama/I'll be thanking my dad/'Cause she grew from the drama," she sang in one verse.
In 2019, again, Ari was sure to shout out her dad on Father's Day. When sharing an adorable pic with him to IG stories, she wrote the short but sweet caption, "forevea."
Between Ari's attention-grabbing appearance at the Grammys with her dad, and her 2019 Thanksgiving dinner with him, it appears they've definitely grown closer in the past year or so.
It's no wonder she changed the lyrics of "Thank U, Next" during her Grammys performance to: "I'll be thanking my dad, 'cause he's really awesome."
Watch the moment at the 5:00 minute mark below.
The world will probably never know the nitty gritty details behind Grande and Butera's relationship, but the parts they've let us in on has been beautiful to witness. Their relationship has grown immensely in recent years, and, clearly, Butera has become an imperative part of his daughter's life.
