Uh oh, Ariana Grande fans, you've got some catching up to do!
Ever hungry for new details about their favorite diva, the Ariana Grande fan universe is reeling at the news that they've apparently been calling her the wrong name all along (according to her grandpa, anyway)!
In an interview on the Apple Music show "Beats 1," Ariana was discussing her impending marriage to Pete Davidson when host Ebro Darden asked her if she'll hyphenate her name after the wedding to Grande-Davidson, and whether she'll use that name professionally. She revealed that she originally wanted to just go by her first name, in the grand tradition of single-named pop divas, but because of her grandfather's pride in their family name, "Gran-DEE," she decided to keep it.
Yep. It's "Gran-DEE," not "GRAHN-day." Hear it for yourself at the :40 mark!
Seems the family has always pronounced it "Gran-DEE" even though the true Italian pronounciation is "Grahn-day"--the family changed it when they emigrated. "My grandpa said Gran-DEE," she told Darden, "Gran-DEE was kind of the Americanized version of it, made it more chill."
It was her brother, YouTube and former "Big Brother" star Frankie Grande, who suggested they change it. "My brother was like, we should say Gran-DAY. It's so fun to say it. It's a funny name," Ariana said, going on to joke about how very Italian she is. "Literally, my name is like 'Ariana Grande-Butera!'" she exclaimed. "I'm like a pizza. I'm a f*cking meatball."
Cute story! But Ariana's fans on social media were SHOOK:
While others with difficult Italian names felt seen and heard:
And some took it ... maybe a bit too seriously?
And others couldn't help but go topical, tying Ari's name story to others in the news:
And, of course, puns about a certain ubiquitous coffee chain were irresistible:
As for me, right now I'm in a state of mind where I'm like, Ariana, baby you just gotta make up your mind, because when it comes to your name, you can have it any way you like!
H/T: Huffington Post, Elle
