Let Me Take You There

Ariana Grande is on the cover of the October issue of Marie Claire. The young singer is on the cover to promote her new album My Everything. Highlights from the interview are below.

On her goals at a young age: “I was 14 years old and ready to make an R&B album. I was like, ‘Where is that Mary J. Blige collab? Where is that Natasha Bedingfield writing session? Where is my session with India.Arie? I’m ready. Let’s go.’ I wrote this song called ‘Higher,’ and the lyrics were too sexual, too mature. And my mom was like, ‘This is a great song, but damn, you’re too young for this.'”

On using her Nickelodeon character: “People liked her and they accepted her and they thought that I was like her. So I used to pretend to be a little more like her than I actually was.”

On being vegan in an Italian family: “Coming from a strict Italian family, they thought nutrients were red meat and pasta. It was like, ‘We’ve got a big day tomorrow. Be sure to have the prosciutto before you go to bed.’ It’s a commitment that I’m 100 percent dedicated to because a) of my love for animals, and b) I’m obsessed with my health because my family has a terrible history with cancer.”

You can check out a bit more from Ariana’s interview here. You can also watch a behind the scenes video from her shoot below.

Ariana’s issue hits stands on September 16!