If there were a pop version of the Avengers, we think Ariana Grande‘s trio of early mentors would all be included.
On the new Billboard Pop Shop Podcast, Katie & Keith are chatting about Ari kicking off the Wicked: For Good press tour by sitting down with Evan Ross Katz on his Shut Up Evan podcast. In the 45-minute-plus conversation, Katz asks what Grande’s relationship is with mentorship — and that’s when she shouts out the impressive triumvirate of pop superstars.
There’s Madonna, who was “immediately very kind,” Grande said. Then there’s Beyoncé, who invited Ari to join her on a music video set early in her career (“she just was being kind”). Then there’s Mariah Carey — because “of course, Mariah.”
Listen to our full conversation about Grande’s first interview of the press tour for the Nov. 21 movie musical below.
Also on the show, we’ve got chart news on how Olivia Dean and Leon Thomas both get their first top 10 hits on the Billboard Hot 100, while Tame Impala’s latest album debuts in the top five on the Billboard 200 and at No. 1 on six more charts.
The Billboard Pop Shop Podcast is your one-stop shop for all things pop on Billboard‘s weekly charts. You can always count on a lively discussion about the latest pop news, fun chart stats and stories, new music, and guest interviews with music stars and folks from the world of pop. Casual pop fans and chart junkies can hear Billboard‘s executive digital director, West Coast, Katie Atkinson and Billboard’s managing director, charts and data operations, Keith Caulfield every week on the podcast, which can be streamed on Billboard.com or downloaded in Apple Podcasts or your favorite podcast provider. (Click here to listen to the previous edition of the show on Billboard.com.)
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