Ariana Grande defends mid-interview voice change following viral video

Ariana Grande has addressed criticism about her speaking voice, explaining she shifts her tone intentionally to protect her singing vocals.

A clip of the US popstar on the Podcrushed podcast with You actor Penn Badgley went viral on TikTok as Grande began speaking about recording new music in a deeper voice, before shifting to a higher-pitched register.

Grande commented on the video – captioned “the voice change??” – explaining it was due to “habit (speaking like this for two years) and also vocal health”.

“(I) intentionally change my vocal placement (high/low) often depending on how much singing I’m doing,” she said.

“I’ve always done this BYE.”

During the interview, Grande teased more new music, following the release of her seventh studio album Eternal Sunshine in March.

“I went to the studio the day after the Met (Gala) and stayed for like 10 days and I was literally living there,” she said on the podcast.

“I’ve been writing a lot, and maybe there’s more. I would like to do a deluxe at some point.”

It comes after Grande revealed a new remix of her hit track The Boy Is Mine will be released on Friday, starring US singers Brandy and Monica – who released a track of the same name in 1998.

“It is near impossible to say how much this means to me,” Grande said in an announcement on Instagram.

She will next be seen as Glinda in the upcoming film adaptation of Wicked, opposite British star Cynthia Erivo as Elphaba.