Ariana Grande claps back at trolls over 'voice change' criticism: 'When it's a man, it's acclaimed'

Pop star Ariana Grande has addressed the ongoing criticism surrounding her 'changing voice' and has suggested she wouldn't have received such backlash if she was a man.

Earlier this year, the 31-year-old singer shocked fans by speaking in two distinctly different voices during an appearance on Penn Badgley's podcast, Podcrushed, in June while delving into her childhood and her experiences working for Nickelodeon.

One clip in particular ignited social media shock, as it showed Ariana dipping into a lower, huskier voice in an unguarded moment, before suddenly pitching her voice considerably higher.

Addressing the furore in a new interview with Vanity Fair, the actress - who takes on the role of Glinda in the upcoming Wicked movie - said: 'There is a part of the world that isn’t familiar with what it takes to transform your voice, whether it’s singing or taking on a different dialect for a role or doing a character voice for something.

'When it’s a male actor that does it, it’s acclaimed. There are definitely jokes that are made as well, but it’s always after being led with praise: "Oh, wow, he was so lost in the role," and that’s just a part of the job, really,' Ariana claimed. 

'Tale as old as time being a woman in this industry,' she added. 'You are treated differently, and you are under a microscope in a way that some people aren’t.'

At the time, Ariana responded to criticism and indicated that part of the issue was that she had gotten used to speaking in her higher voice for Wicked, in which she stars as Glinda.

'Habit (speaking like this for two years) and also vocal health,' she explained in her TikTok comment.

'I intentionally change my vocal placement (high / low) often depending on how much singing I'm doing,' she continued, adding an emoji with tears streaming down its face.

'I've always done this BYE,' she added to abruptly end the speculation.

While Ariana did not specifically mention it, several fans speculated that she switched back to her higher voice to avoid using vocal fry — a slightly croaky vocal tone that occurs when people speak in low, relaxed tones — as many people believe that vocal fry can damage a person's vocal cords or singing voice. 

Back in March, while onstage at the 2024 Academy Awards with her Wicked costar, Cynthia Erivo, Ariana surprised her fans and viewers with her higher-pitched voice, which appeared to be similar to the one she uses when playing Glinda.

'That is NOT how she usually sounds!' one fan said on Instagram, while another wondered, 'What happened to her voice?'

'Someone needs to make Ariana Grande stop speaking in her Glinda voice. It's too soon for another Austin Butler situation,' another user joked.

Elsewhere in her interview with Vanity Fair, Ariana spoke about her romance with boyfriend Ethan Slater, 32, who she met whilst filming Wicked.

'The most disappointing part was to see so many people believe the worst version of it,' she told the publication. 'There couldn’t be a less accurate depiction of a human being than the one that the tabloids spread about him.

'No one on this earth tries harder or spreads themselves thinner to be there for the people that he loves and cares about. There is no one on this earth with a better heart, and that is something that no bulls**t tabloid can rewrite in real life,' the singer added.

A few weeks ago, it was reported that Ethan had finalized his divorce from wife Lilly Jay, after separating from her last year. 

The father-of-one filed for divorce on July 26, 2023, five years after he tied the knot with Jay, his high school sweetheart.

At the time, Ariana was still married to Dalton Gomez; she filed for divorce in September 2023 and listed the date of separation as February 20, 2023.