The past few years have been Ariana Grande‘s time to shine. The 21-year-old released her debut solo album Yours Truly in 2013 and found a No. 1 smash hit in her single “Problem.” But some of her year has not been cause for celebration.
Grande has had a major feud with her father, graphic designer Edward Butera, for the past year, and it has been one of her biggest struggles.
“Falling out of touch with my dad [was the toughest thing I’ve ever dealt with],” she told Seventeen magazine in the September issue. “It’s private, but it happened last year. It took me so long to be okay with it.”
The recording artist, whose kid’s show Sam & Cat was recently cancelled by Nickelodeon, talked about her journey toward forgiveness.
“The thing that got me there was embracing the fact that that I am made up of half my dad, and a lot of my traits come from him,” she admitted. “So much of me comes from my father, and for so long, I didn’t like that about myself. I had to accept that it’s okay not to get along with somebody and still love them.”
“It’s tough to spend some of the most important years of your life in front of so many strangers who want to pick you apart,” she told Seventeen. “Insecurity has been the hardest thing I’ve had to overcome. I think everyone my age struggles with that because everyone strives for approval and wants to feel loved.”
Earlier this month, “The Way” singer lost her beloved grandfather Frank and had to tell her brother Frankie Grande via letter while he was filming in the Big Brother house.
“I’m having the biggest song of my career so far, and all I can think about is my grandpa, because that’s what’s important to me,” she said in the interview conducted before his passing.
