Ariana Grande made a rare statement about her late ex-boyfriend, rapper Mac Miller, during a live episode of The Hollywood Reporter‘s Awards Chatter podcast on Friday (Dec. 5). The singer credited Miller — who died of an accidental overdose in 2018 at age 26 — for helping her to zoom in on her signature R&B-influenced pop sound.

As seen in a TikTok from the event, while chatting at Chapman University in Orange, Calif., Grande, 32, said Miller encouraged her to mix R&B and pop and “do the brave thing” by taking a chance on her sound. “Yeah, I’ve never said that… it was a great influence and I’m very thanks for that.”

The moderator noted that the first single to spawn from their collaboration was the No. 9 Billboard Hot 100 hit “The Way” from her 2013 debut album, Yours Truly, which earned

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