Ariana Grande Explains Viral Interview Clip of Her Voice Changing Drastically: 'I've Always Done This'

Ariana Grande has a perfectly good explanation for the drastic change in her speaking voice.

The second half of the ���Boy Is Mine” singer’s Podcrushed podcast episode — hosted by her music video co-star Penn Badgley — premiered on Monday, June 17, and a certain part (around the 22:16 minute mark) immediately caught viewers’ attention when they noticed a huge shift in Grande’s pitch while she answered a question.

The clip quickly went viral online, with one X (formerly Twitter) user commenting, “this voice change is sending me 😭😭 regular Ariana was coming out for a second.” Another wrote, “THE SWITCH IN THE VOICE PLEASE HELP ME😭😭😭.”

After the video made its way to TikTok, Grande hopped in the comments section to set the record straight.” “habit (speaking like this for two years) and also vocal health :) 🍵,” the Wicked star wrote. “i intentionally change my vocal placement (high / low) often depending on how much singing i’m doing 😭i’ve always done this BYE.”

Grande’s Podcrushed appearance isn’t the first time fans have noticed her voice change. Some folks seemed concerned after she presented alongside her Wicked co-star Cynthia Erivo at the 2024 Academy Awards, where her voice seemed more high-pitched than usual. 

Others compared the altered tone to Austin Butler’s Elvis transformation, where he continued to sound like the rock ‘n’ roll legend even after his film debuted.

“Austin Butler Elvis voice but it's Ariana Grande Galinda voice,” one X user wrote of the “yes, and?” singer’s Wicked role. Another pointed out, “Oh no Austin Butler look what you did to Ariana’s voice.” 

Grande’s Wicked role would explain why fans have heard more frequent shifts in her voice lately, as the two-time Grammy winner has several musical numbers in the upcoming adaptation — including her lead character Glinda's signature song, “Popular,” and the “Defying Gravity” duet with Erivo, 37. 

Part one of the pair’s film hits theaters on Wednesday, Nov. 27, with Wicked: Part Two set to arrive on Wednesday, Nov. 26, 2025.

Also coming up, Grande has more new music dropping from her eternal sunshine album era, including a "The Boy Is Mine" remix featuring R&B icons Brandy and Monica (who also briefly appeared in her track’s video).

“i ……… cannot believe this is real (i don’t know if i will even long after it’s out),” the pop star wrote in her remix announcement on Instagram. “my deepest and sincerest thank you to Brandy and Monica, not only for joining me for this moment, but for your generosity, your kindness, and for the countless ways in which you have inspired me. it is near impossible to say how much this means to me.”

She added, “this is in celebration of you both and the impact that you have had on every vocalist, vocal producer, musician, artist that is creating today. i loooooove you both so so much. thank you !!!!!!! 🥹🥹🥹🥹🥹.”