Ariana Grande on Overcoming Insecurity: 'It's the Hardest Thing I've Had to Overcome'
Ariana Grande is an inspiration to many but she wasn't always so comfortable in the spotlight and even with herself. Grande admitted in a new interview that the hardest thing she ever did was severing all contact with her father, Edward Butera.
"It's private, but it happened last year. It took me so long to be okay with it," Grande told "Seventeen" magazine. "The thing that got me there was embracing the fact that I am made up of half my dad, and a lot of traits come from him. 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."
Grande is the granddaughter of Frank Grande, who she absolutely adored. He was an inspiration to the teen as she worked on Nickelodeon's series "Victorious" and "Sam & Cat." Since then, Grande has been an enormous success, releasing her first single in 2013. It wasn't always easy for the teen to be in the spotlight, though.
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"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. I feel like for the first time in my life, I'm really OK. I used to freak out about everything all the time. I used to be like, 'Oh my God, somebody said this!' Everything used to be such a big deal! But now, I feel like I can handle everything that comes my way with a calm energy," Grande explained.
With the loss of her grandfather Frank came the even more difficult task of watching her older brother, Frankie (named for Frank), learn the news on TV. Frankie is a contestant on "Big Brother," and was not aware of the situation until this week, when he read a letter from his mother informing him that Frank had died. Ariana stayed up to watch her brother's reaction, which she said was heartbreaking.
"Watching @frankiejgrande talk abt grandps after reading our letter on the live feed. Sobbing/laughing hysterically. Love u Frankie so much," Ariana tweeted. "thaaaanks to my best friends who stayed up with me all night talking and helped me pull myself together temporarily this am," she added.
