Music fans are convinced they can hear Ariana Grande singing on Mac Miller’s posthumous album, Circles.
The new album was released on Friday, January 17, more than a year after Miller unexpectedly passed away in September 2018. It consists of tracks the rapper recorded before his death and was put together, with the blessing of Miller’s family, by producer and composer Jon Brion.
There are 12 songs on the album but one in particular, titled I Can See, has caught the attention of Grande fans.
While listening to the track, some listeners’ ears pricked up at the sound of a woman’s voice harmonising alongside Miller’s. As Grande and the rapper have a history, listeners immediately jumped to the conclusion the Thank U, Next singer featured on the album.
Ariana and Mac dated for two years before breaking up in 2018, months before Miller’s death. After the rapper passed away, Grande openly expressed her grief, suggesting she wouldn’t be averse to contributing to Circles in Miller’s honour.
The pair had collaborated before on tracks, including Grande’s song The Way and Miller’s song My Favorite Part, so there’s every possibility it could have happened again.
Unfortunately for fans, there’s no hard evidence to prove Grande is the voice they can hear. Miller is the only credited vocalist on Circles, and a representative told Vulture they had ‘no comment’ as to whether or not Grande is featured.
The pop star shared the Circles album cover on her Instagram story, though she made no reference to any involvement. As such, it’s possible she was simply doing her bit to help promote the release.
Though Grande has neither confirmed or denied having a role in the album, she did share a tweet which, in hindsight, may be relevant to Circles.
The day before Miller’s album was released, Ariana tweeted:
i love adding more harmonies than anyone will ever notice or hear that no one ever asked for or needed.
Admittedly it’s not conclusive evidence, but referring to harmonies people won’t notice may be her way of hinting there is a harmony out there fans should notice.
If that’s the case, the singer needn’t have bothered because fans certainly picked up on her potential involvement, with many taking to social media to express their beliefs.
Ariana Grande may never reveal whether or not she’s the voice in I Can See, but I think fans are satisfied enough having convinced themselves she is. It would be a lovely way to honour her former boyfriend.
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Emily Brown first began delivering important news stories aged just 13, when she launched her career with a paper round. She graduated with a BA Hons in English Language in the Media from Lancaster University, and went on to become a freelance writer and blogger. Emily contributed to The Sunday Times Travel Magazine and Student Problems before becoming a journalist at UNILAD, where she works on breaking news as well as longer form features.