Ariana Grande says the “voice change” in a viral video was intentional: “I’ve always done it this way”

Ariana Grande commented on a viral video of her “changed voice” in a recent interview and explained that this was a conscious decision.

The “Positions” singer was a guest on the latest episode of actor Penn Badgley’s podcast. Podcrushed, in which she talked about her music career and her leading role in the upcoming music film, Evil.

A clip from the June 12 episode that went viral on social media shows Grande, 30, laughing and speaking in a lower pitch than fans are used to, before immediately switching to a much higher, breathy voice.

“This voice change is killing me,” said one viewer, sharing the clip in a post that received more than 170,000 likes on TikTok. “Normal Ariana came out for a second.”

Some fans said it was natural for Grande to have “different voices” as a singer.

“You act like your voices don’t change in certain rooms and situations,” wrote one. “Your interview voice is no different, especially because singers use it to protect their voice. Don’t bring any nonsense here.”

Grande has since responded to one of the TikTok videos, explaining that speaking in her higher voice has become a “habit (of speaking like that for two years) and also vocal health.”

“I often change my vocal range (high/low) on purpose depending on how much I’m singing,” she commented. “I’ve always done it that way, BYE.”

Grande spoke about the techniques she uses to protect her voice in a 2013 interview and explained her higher tone.

“I spoke in a slightly higher position than usual because I’ve been doing a lot of interviews and trying to keep my voice healthy,” she said.

The “7 Rings” artist talked about the big changes she went through to Evil character Glinda while working with acting teacher Nancy Banks and voice coach Eric Vetro.

“I had to deconstruct everything about myself to prove to them that I could take on this other person,” she said on the Zach Sang Show in February.

“I had to completely erase pop star Ari, the person they know so well, because it’s even harder to believe someone as someone else when you’re so branded as one thing yourself.”

Evil is scheduled to hit British cinemas on November 27, with a second part to follow on November 26, 2025.