Ariana Grande has reached out to her LGBTQ fans to kickstart Gay Pride Month by letting them all know how much they mean to her.
Billboard editors have asked a group of pop stars to write “love letters” to the LGBTQ community, and Grande was among the first to respond, saluting her gay brother Frankie and insisting there is nothing more “infectious” than being surrounded by her LGBTQ devotees.
“I grew up with a gay brother whose every move I would emulate,” the No Tears Left to Cry star writes. “I idolized him. Everything Frankie did, I would do. I can’t remember a difference between Frankie before he came out and Frankie after he came out. He’s always just been Frankie.
“Sexuality and gender were never topics my family and I were afraid to discuss. When Frankie came out my surprisingly unfazed (for his age) grandfather said, ‘Congrats! Can we go to dinner now? I’m fuckin’ hungry’.”
The singer adds: “I was taught to do my makeup by queens in gay bars in New York City. I made my Broadway debut at 14 years old and did 8 shows a week but there was never a night I was too tired to run to a gay bar and do a quick Whitney cover before bed.
“My music being embraced and celebrated by the LGBTQ community is all I ever truly cared about when I thought about my career goals early on. There’s no award I could win or accolade I could receive that would fulfill me more than seeing a 6-foot queen with a 4-foot ponytail walk into my meet n greet and say ‘hey girl’ or meeting a young queer person at Starbucks and them letting me know that my music has helped them become who they are. Literally nothing.”
Ariana goes on to state she is “eternally indebted” to the LGBTQ community, adding, “I hope to create anthems for you that wrap you up with comfort and make you get your best life for as long as I live.”
For news as it happens follow Noise11 on Facebook
Listen to the Noise11 Music News channel now at iHeartRadio