Many musicians have been involved in the lengthy saga that has accompanied the release of Kanye West’s latest album, Donda, in both positive and terrible ways. While controversial inclusions like Marilyn Manson and DaBaby have sparked debate, Ariana Grande fans were taken aback when they heard what sounded eerily similar to her vocals on the album’s title track when it was eventually released today.
However, if you listen attentively, you’ll notice little variances that show it’s not Ari. To begin with, she rarely AutoTuned and filtered her voice to the point where the female vocals on “Donda” were altered — primarily because she didn’t need to. It simply wasn’t her style in the past. And, despite the fact that Ari and Ye have never had a public feud, they’ve never collaborated or been in the same artistic space. They do have a mutual acquaintance in Scooter Braun, but that’s about it.
All of this is to say, those aren’t Ariana’s vocals, as she confirmed on her Instagram Stories today, complimenting the featured artist, The Stalone, like the class act she is.
“You sound beautiful @thestalone,” Ari wrote, putting the subject to bed once and for all. She’s too busy being a blissful newlywed to work on a Kanye timeline, anyway. Check out the song in question above if you haven’t heard it yet.