At a Glance
- Ariana Grande credits Mac Miller with pushing her to ditch the red wig and embrace her natural brown hair
- The rapper urged her to “shed that character” during her Yours Truly era
- His encouragement helped her pivot toward R&B-influenced pop music
- Why it matters: The revelation shows how Miller shaped Grande’s artistic identity before his 2018 death
For the first time, Ariana Grande has publicly shared how the late Mac Miller influenced her to drop the red-hair persona that defined her early career.
Speaking on the Jan. 13 episode of The Hollywood Reporter‘s Awards Chatter podcast-recorded in December at Chapman University-Grande told a live audience that Miller “encouraged me to be myself” during the creation of her debut album, Yours Truly.
The Moment That Changed Everything
Grande, 32, recalled her Nickelodeon days when her hair was dyed fire-engine red for the character Cat Valentine. Between weekend gigs as herself and Monday-morning shoots, she spent Sundays “doing a clarifying rinse” to restore the red for 6 a.m. call times.
Miller, her then-boyfriend and musical collaborator, delivered the wake-up call she needed.
“He told me that it was okay to kind of shed that character and embrace my brown hair and make R&B-influenced pop music and…do the brave thing,” Grande said. “I’ve never said that, but it was great influence.”
From Cat Valentine to Chart-Topping Solo Star
The two artists first teamed up on 2013’s “The Way,” three years before they went public with their relationship in September 2016. Their split, reported by TMZ at the time, was blamed on clashing schedules rather than any falling-out.
Miller’s unexpected death on Sept. 7, 2018, at age 26 sent shock waves through Grande’s world. A rep close to the singer told News Of Losangeles that the overdose was “devastating and shocking to her. It’s had a huge, negative impact on her life. It made her rethink many things in her life.”
Hair as a Career Barometer
Grande’s hair has long doubled as a timeline of her professional shifts:
- Red wig era: Nickelodeon’s Victorious and early touring
- Signature ponytail: Practical choice, not a calculated rebrand
- Blonde for three years: Filming Wicked as Glinda
- Return to brunette: Critics Choice Awards, Jan. 4, 2026
“Since I was a little girl, I always liked my hair out of my face,” she explained, debunking theories that the ponytail signaled a new musical phase. “I always had a headband on or a bun or a ponytail or something.”
Balancing Dual Careers
Grande admitted juggling acting and music simultaneously “was hard” at times. Weekends meant performing as Ariana Grande; weekdays meant reverting to Cat’s crimson locks. The rinse-repeat cycle took a toll, both physically and creatively.
Miller’s advice arrived at the tipping point between her Nickelodean contract and full-fledged pop stardom. Embracing her natural brown hair became shorthand for embracing her own sound-less musical-theater pop, more R&B-tinged tracks that would define Yours Truly and later projects.
Key Takeaways
- Grande publicly credits Mac Miller with urging her to drop the manufactured red-hair image
- The shift coincided with her evolution toward R&B-influenced pop
- His influence surfaced during the Jan. 13 podcast, nearly six years after his death
- The singer’s hair chronology mirrors major career moves, from Nickelodeon to Wicked
