Ariana Grande may have been through one of the most difficult two years of her life, but she's managed to remain an incredibly positive and forgiving person. The 25-year-old, who broke a record for video views with her brand new single 'thank u, next' this week, accepted the Billboard award for the Woman of the Year.
The 'No Tears Left To Cry' singer accepted the award last night (6th Dec) in New York, USA, at Billboard's Women In Music event, calling it "really special" as she became visibly emotional.
Accepting the award, Ariana said, "I want to say that I find it interesting that this has been one of the best years in my career and one of like the worst years in my life," adding, "I'm just saying that because I feel like a lot of people would look at someone in my position right now I guess - Woman of the Year, an artist that could be at her peak," going on to say that fans may think she's got it all figured out.
She continued, "I do, but as far as my personal life goes I really have no idea what I am doing. So yeah, it's been a very conflicting one."
Ariana Grande's complete relationship history: Which exes she's singing about on 'thank u, next' - and which ones she isn't...
Ariana Grande's relationship timeline: Her complete dating history SLIDER heat
1 of 8Ariana Grande and Graham Phillips (2008-2011)
Ariana and Graham met at 15 years old when they were both starring in the Broadway production of 13: The Musical. They dated for three years and released a song called Stick Around together in 2010. Ari continued the trend of duetting with partners later in her career, but more on that later.Is he on thank u, next? Nah, mate.
2 of 8Ariana Grande and Jai Brooks (2012-2014)
Ariana dated Jai Brooks - a member of Australian prank-pop band The Janoskians - between 2012 and 2014. Things didn't end on good terms, though; as Jai accused Ariana of cheating on him with The Wanted's Nathan Sykes very publicly on Twitter. Ariana denied the claims, before the pair briefly got back together for a couple of months in 2014.Is he on thank u, next? Nope.
3 of 8Ariana Grande and Nathan Sykes (2014)
Following that Jai Brooks drama, Ari and Nathan got together as they collaborated on the track Almost is Never Enough; taken from her debut album. The pair split just months later, with many reports claiming Ari wrote Break Your Heart Right Back about the split.The pair are still on good terms and released a second duet - Over and Over Again - in 2016.Is he on thank u, next? No, but he's fine with it. In an interview with TMZ Nathan explained it's 'good' he didn't get a mention, whatever that means.
4 of 8Ariana Grande and Big Sean (2014-2015)
Ariana and Big Sean made their public debut on the GRAMMY red carpet in 2015. Much like Nathan and Ari, the pair have two duets together; 2013's Right There and 2014's Best Mistake. The couple reportedly split due to busy schedules, but they remain 'good friends' and Ari confirmed he heard thank u, next ahead of its release.Is he on thank u, next? Yep, the opening line 'thought I'd end up with Sean, but it wasn't a match' is about him.
5 of 8Ariana Grande and Ricky Alvarez (2015-2016)
Following her split from Big Sean Ariana dated one of her dancers, Ricky Alvarez, for a year. He's the guy she's hanging out with in that infamous doughnut shop video, remember? Neither party have explained the cause of the split, but they remain on good terms.Is he on thank u, next? Yup. The line 'wrote some songs about Ricky, now I listen and laugh' refers to many tracks on her 2016 album Dangerous Woman; including Knew Better/Forever Boy. He's cool with it, though; taking to his Instagram story to praise both Ariana and the track.
6 of 8Ariana Grande and Mac Miller (2016-2018)
Ariana dated the late Mac Miller (real name Malcolm McCormick) from 2016-2018. The pair originally collaborated on her debut single The Way back in 2013 and released another track - My Favourite Part - in 2016. Mac famously supported Ariana at her One Love Manchester concert in 2017 following the Manchester Arena terror attack and split earlier this year after she debuted No Tears Left to Cry at Coachella.Mac tragically passed away on 7th September 2018, and Ariana has since paid tribute to the rapper.Is he on thank u, next? Ariana describes Mac as an 'angel' on the track in a fitting tribute to the late star.
7 of 8Ariana Grande and Pete Davidson (2018)
Ariana and SNL comedian Pete Davidson proved the whirlwind romance of 2018. Just weeks after getting together, the pair announced their engagement in June 2018. The pair split in October 2018 but remain on good terms.Pete addressed their break-up on SNL, saying: "The truth is, it's nobody's business. Sometimes things just don't work out. She's a wonderful strong person and I wish her all the happiness in the world."Is he on thank u, next? Yep. 'Even almost got married, and for Pete I'm so thankful' is obviously about their whirlwind romance.
8 of 8Herself. YAAAS.
In thank u, next Ariana serves some unapologetic feminism as she claims she's now in a relationship with herself. YAS, queen.
Ariana later stressed to her fans, "I just want to say if you're someone out there who has no idea what this next chapter is going to bring, you're not alone in that," adding, "I have everything I’ve ever dreamt of having, and as of late I’ve discovered that it’s the things I’ve always had and the people I’ve always had that still make me the happiest."
The Florida native, who released her fourth album 'Sweetener' in August this year, has had to face a lot of trauma over the past couple of years, and recently broke off her engagement to Saturday Night Live comedian Pete Davidson.
However, in her most recent single, 'thank u, next', Ariana revealed that she's happy being single and spending some time on working out what she really wants.
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