Ariana Grande once got a tattoo in Japanese, thinking it said something special, but it actually translated to “small charcoal grill.” She laughed it off later, saying, “Thanks so much for joining me in my K-era. It means a lot.”
Recently, she’s been accused of “Asian fishing” after some new photos stirred up controversy.
In a more casual moment, Ariana said, “Guys, that’s my cookie, and this is my juice. Alright, I’m here to talk about the Mac. Girl, get in here. Why does everything have to last forever?”
Over the years, Ariana has faced a lot of backlash for transforming herself in different ways. She’s been accused of changing her voice from a deeper, more “black-accented” tone to a higher pitch now, and there’s also been plenty of talk about her shifting skin tone. In this video, we’re breaking down the mystery behind Ariana Grande’s evolving identity.
Ariana’s journey is pretty complicated, which makes sense when you think about it. She grew up as a child star under Dan Schneider, which brought its own challenges, and she’s stayed in the spotlight into adulthood. But if you look back at her over the years—from a few years ago to a decade ago—it’s almost like you’re seeing a completely different person. Let’s dive into what’s going on with her transformation.
Trust me, I totally get it—celebrities change over time. I mean, just look at Madonna, Lil Mama, Janet Jackson, and so many others. Now, I’m not saying Ariana Grande looks “botched” or anything like that, but she definitely looks different these days. Her voice has changed, and even her behavior seems different at times. It’s a kind of transformation I haven’t really noticed with any other celebrity.
Sure, we see someone like Lady Gaga transform into different characters for each album, but Ariana’s change feels… different. That’s really what I want you to take away from this video.
Ariana has been known to draw inspiration from other cultures, which, honestly, isn’t anything new. We’ve seen people like Gwen Stefani do it for years. During her “Seven Rings” phase, it seemed like she was pulling from a bunch of different influences, and one of them was actually Soulja Boy. Yeah, that’s right—Soulja Boy, the rapper. Now, calling him an “OG rapper” might be a bit of a stretch (he definitely isn’t), but he was big when I was growing up. Still, these days, he’s kind of all over the place. I mean, I could dive deep into his story, but at this point, he’s not really that relevant. But, apparently, relevant enough for Ariana to borrow his beat and flow!
Speaking of Ariana, she just dropped a new music video, and I have to say—I loved it! The song is great, but doesn’t it sound familiar? It kind of reminds me of “Pretty Boy Swag,” you know? That whole “Hey, it’s my swag. Hey, everybody, this right here is my swag” vibe. Now, I’ll admit, I’m not super musically inclined, so maybe I’m totally off. But do they sound similar to you? Let me know in the comments—I’m curious to hear what you think!
“Sold, sold, okay. Oh wow, the way they presented this on the set of ‘Seven Rings’ was something else! Ariana Grande is all about that trap house vibe, pulling in those ‘ghetto fabulous’ aesthetics that we associate with legendary hip-hop artists like Lil’ Kim, Missy Elliott, and Salt-N-Pepa. These styles emerged from real struggles and poverty, but Ariana seems to be using them to come off as ‘hood’—a term I honestly don’t love using—without fully grasping the history and significance of the culture.
Now, aside from the similarities in the song itself, what really caught people’s attention was the lavish visuals in the music video. A lot of folks credit 2 Chainz for inspiring the look of his pink trap house, which Ariana definitely took cues from. Plus, there are some adorable ‘kawaii’ Japanese design elements sprinkled in, as you can see in the text here.
And speaking of Japanese culture, remember when Ariana got that tattoo on her hand with Japanese characters? She thought it meant something cool, but it actually turned out to say ‘Japanese-style barbecue grill.’ She claimed she got it out of love for the culture, but the reality was a little embarrassing! After deleting a photo of the tattoo, she joked, ‘Please leave me and my tambourine grill alone, thank you.’ At least she can laugh about it because that’s definitely a funny blunder!”
Ariana Grande once got a tattoo in Japanese that didn’t mean what she thought it did. After her song “Seven Rings” hit number one on the charts, she wanted a way to remember that moment forever. So, she decided to get “Seven Rings” tattooed on her palm in Japanese. But things took an unexpected turn.
When Ariana got home, she looked up the translation of her new ink, only to find out it wasn’t what she expected. Instead of “Seven Rings,” her tattoo actually translated to “small charcoal grill.” She was mortified!
To lighten the mood, Ariana joked on Twitter about being a fan of tiny barbecue grills, but she still wanted to fix the mistake. She quickly returned to the tattoo shop, asking the artist to add some characters to correct it. However, the new version still didn’t make sense—it ended up translating to “Japanese barbecue finger.” Even now, Ariana can’t help but feel embarrassed about the whole situation!