Ariana Grande
Your grandma can claim a record
A heart and a soul: Ariana Grande likes to take her grandmother Marjorie with her to events and has even brought her on stage.
© Kevin Mazur/Getty Images for Time
First the divorce, and now a record: Singer Ariana Grande is having an exciting week.
Ariana Grande’s (30) grandmother, Marjorie Grande (98), made music history. She is the oldest female artist to enter the Billboard Hot 100 chart.
Like, among other things People reported, the 98-year-old broke the previous record after her famous granddaughter’s new single “Ordinary Things” reached number 55 in the charts. Previously, the late Fred Stobaugh topped the age list: He was 96 when he won the title of oldest artist in 2013. Stobaugh wrote the song “Oh Sweet Lorraine”, which reached number 42 on the charts.
The words of Marjorie Grande end the current album
Marjorie Grande is credited as the co-writer and singer of the track “Ordinary Things,” which closes the current album “Eternal Sunshine.” At the end of the song, the elderly woman can be heard saying loving words about her late husband Frank, followed by her granddaughter’s laughter. In an interview with Zane Lowe for Apple Music 1 Ariana Grande revealed that she wasn’t sure how to end the song for a long time. “I knew ‘Ordinary Things’ would be the end of the album,” said the singer. “I thought to myself, ‘This is the last song, but I’m wondering how can I push this button and make it resonate the way I feel it emotionally and how can I answer the question?'”
Then she came across a voice memo of a conversation her grandmother had with a friend. “I always record my Nonna because you never know what she’s going to say,” explained the 30-year-old. The words from the voice memo now secured Marjorie Grande’s record. The senior had already had her say on previous albums from 2013 and 2019, but was not officially mentioned as a participant.
Singer is recently divorced
The record news should be another reason to celebrate in the Grande household this week. Just yesterday it was announced that the divorce between Ariana Grande and real estate agent Dalton Gomez (28) has finally been finalized. The couple married in May 2021, but separated again less than two years later. In September 2023, Grande filed for divorce due to “irreconcilable differences.” According to TMZ The singer has to pay legal fees of $25,000 and has to pay her ex-husband a one-time payment of $1.25 million. The star does not have to pay any additional maintenance payments.