Ariana Grande’s last name is of Spanish and Italian origin, but where is she really from?
Ariana Grande isn’t Spanish. She’s an American citizen who identifies as an Italian American with Sicilian and Abruzzese roots because both her parents originate from Italy.
Keep reading to learn more about Ariana Grande’s ancestry and find out if she has any connection to Spain.
Ariana Grande’s Roots
If you’re familiar with Spanish, you already know that Grande’s last name translates as “large” or “great” in this language. That led many people to believe that she hails from Spain, but the word “grande” actually has the same meaning in several Romance languages, including Italian.
Her first name is the Italian variation of the Greek name Ariadne, and it means “most holy”. The singer was born as Ariana Grande-Butera but dropped her father’s last name Butera once she started pursuing a career in the entertainment industry.
Grande’s parents Joan Grande and Edward Butera are both of Italian descent, but they met in New York and raised their daughter in Boca Raton, Florida. The singer describes herself as an Italian American of “half Sicilian and half Abruzzese” descent but also has Greek and North African roots.
Grande told Mirror that she’s very proud of her family’s amazing history and enjoys listening to her mother’s stories about her “eccentric, fun family.” Even though she’s Italian, the Grammy winner admitted that she stopped eating some traditional dishes after going vegan.
Performing in Spain
Ariana Grande wasn’t born in Spain, but she’s no stranger to performing in this country. The “Thank U, Next” singer scheduled several tour dates in Spain over the years, but some of her performances didn’t go smoothly.
Back in 2014, Grande was supposed to promote her sophomore studio album My Everything with a performance in Spain but ended up canceling it. It’s been reported that she decided to put this trip on hold due to Ebola fears.
There was only one Ebola case in Spain at the time, but sources close to the singer told The Sun that her team didn’t want to “take any chances during the incubation period.” Grande never commented on this issue but made sure to add Spanish dates to her future tours.
She performed at the Palau Sant Jordi in Barcelona while touring with her albums The Honeymoon and Dangerous Woman. Surprisingly enough, her Sweetener World Tour didn’t include any dates in Spain, and she also skipped performing in Italy while promoting this record.
Ariana Grande’s tour dates in Spain were few and far in between, but she had a chance to perform in other Spanish-speaking countries. Her Dangerous Woman Tour had several dates in Latin America, including concerts in Mexico, Argentina, and Chile.
Speaking Spanish
Ariana Grande doesn’t originate from Spain, but her Spanish skills are pretty impressive. She’s not fluent in this language but demonstrated her ability to speak it during several interviews, live performances, and funny clips she shared with her fans.
Grande is also no stranger to singing in Spanish, and she seems to know the words of J.Lo’s hit song “Qué Hiciste” by heart. She’s yet to collaborate with major Latin artists, but her discography includes a track that made it to top five on Billboard’s Latin Pop Songs chart.
Back in 2013, Grande recorded the hit song “The Way” with late rapper Mac Miller, which was later featured on her debut album Yours Truly. It became their first single to reach the top ten on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, in addition to hitting no. 5 on the Latin chart.
Grande later dropped the Spanglish version of this track which featured a guest appearance from J Balvin. He also appeared on the Spanglish version of Grande’s hit song “Problem” from 2014, also featuring Iggy Azalea.
In addition to recording music in Spanish, Grande also had a chance to prove her Spanish-speaking skills in T-Mobile’s commercial from 2016. She only had to say one line in this language, but that was just enough to convince her fans that her Spanish is great.