Make way, Fred Stobaugh – Ariana GrandeGrandma is taking over! According to billboardGrande’s grandmother Marjorie Grande — referred to by the pop star as Nonna (which means grandmother in Italian) — has surpassed the late Stobaugh as the oldest artist to appear on the Hot 100 chart.
The news comes as Grande’s new album, Eternal ray of sunshine, enters the graphics. The album reached No. 1 on the Billboard 200, and the song “Ordinary Things” — on which Nonna is listed as a featured artist and co-songwriter — debuted at No. 55.
‘Ordinary Things’ ends with a clip of Nonna giving her granddaughter some advice as she reflects on her late husband, Frank. “Never go to bed without kissing goodnight,” says Nonna. “That’s the worst thing to do; never, ever do that. And if you don’t feel comfortable doing that, you’re in the wrong place — get out.”
Regarding her decision to include the catchphrase, Grande told Zane Lowe from Apple Music 1“I always record my Nonna, because you never know what she’s going to say. I had a 30-minute voice note of her and her friend Shirley talking… I think it’s a little bit like ‘Wow, our loved ones, our friends and our family have the ability to instantly calm, soothe and simplify things that are sometimes so complicated and burdensome.'”
The 98-year-old claims the record from Stobaugh, who was 96 when “Oh Sweet Lorraine,” by Green Shoe Studio featuring Jacob Colgan (the song’s lead singer) and Stobaugh (its writer), spent a week on the Hot 100 in 2013 at no. 42.
It’s not Nonna’s first line in a Grande song, just the first where she’s credited as an artist. Majorie was also heard on “Daydreamin” from Grande’s 2013 debut album, Sincerelyand 2019’s “Bloodline” Thank you, next.
Eternal ray of sunshine marks Grande’s fourth consecutive No. 1 album. The album’s hit single, “We can’t be friends (wait for your love)” brands her ninth number 1 single on the Hot 100 graphic, breaking the record for the most Hot 100 debuts by a female artist.
It’s a triumphant launch for the 30-year-old singer, who released her seventh studio album after divorce in Dalton Gomes and amid his subsequent romance with her Evil Co-star, Ethan Slater.
Earlier this month, during an interview at The Zach Sang Show, Grande offered clarity on writing his new album during an exciting time in his life.
“Even in the most sad or painful moments of the last few years, there has been so much kindness, so much love, so much honesty, transparency and respect,” Grande shared. “So even in the most difficult moments of loss and sadness that you hear in some parts of the album, in some parts of the heartbreak, there was a lot of love and transparency.”
For the artist, even her “heartbreak” songs were not intended to be vengeful, but rather cathartic.
“That was something I really wanted to make sure was captured. It wasn’t like, ‘Fuck you,’ not ever… I tried to make sure it was kind and gave credit for trying and for the kindness that was there,” Grande explained.
“That was a tricky balance for me because I definitely had some sessions where I wrote more emotionally and reactively,” she added. “But it’s also very human. So I didn’t want to erase everything.”
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