Are Taylor Swift And Ariana Grande Friends? Well, They're Friendly Enough
With the help of her ever-growing squad and not-exactly-subtle lyrics, music fans today have a pretty good idea of who is on Taylor Swift's good side and who, well, is not. Considering her squad stretches rather thin, not to mention allegations that she's more of a Regina George than, say, a Mother Theresa, it's tough to determine where Swift's extended hand starts and stops.
Case in point: Ariana Grande. The pint-sized vocal powerhouse often shares the Billboard charts with Swift but doesn't seem like someone who has the "Bad Blood" singer on speed dial. What's the 411 between these super-powered songstresses? Are they friends or what?
They've been cordial for years
While they may not be BFFs, one could easily argue that Swift and Grande are, at the very least, on good terms. The music duo has displayed its PDF (Public Display of Friendship) multiple times over the years, including at the 2014 Victoria's Secret Fashion Show, when they hugged backstage and apparently had a pajama party.
The warm fuzzies continued at the 2016 Grammys. Hollywood Life spotted them embracing backstage. We suspect the conversation probably went something like: "OMG, you're so talented." "No, you are!" "No, you are!"
Swift praised Grande on social media
While Swift's attempts at feminism may not be as on point as she'd like to believe, standing up for women is almost guaranteed to win you points in her book. Grande experienced that for herself after she wrote an essay on Facebook (via Billboard) in which she blasted the media for continually asking women sexist questions. Swift quickly reacted to Grande's post on Twitter, gushing, "I'm so proud of you, always. But especially today." Yeah, that definitely sounds like something a friend would say.
Grande wants to join Swift's squad
How exactly one joins Swift's infamous "squad" remains unclear Apparently, hashtags are a good way to get your foot in the door. Whatever the case, Grande seems ready and willing to do what it takes to get in with the Swift crowd. "Oh wow! That would be so crazy," she told the U.K. radio station Capital FM (via E! Online), "Do you have to do anything weird to get in?"
"All those girls are really nice," she continued. "I would just be so down." Your move, Taylor!
Grande is already pals with other squad members
Another likely way to garner Swift's good graces: be friendly to her closest allies. That's something that Grande has done many times, particularly pertaining to Swift's confidant, Selena Gomez. The night Gomez made her first public appearance—following an alleged stint in rehab—at the 2016 American Music Awards, Grande told Entertainment Tonight, "She looks like a princess," adding, "I literally almost cried when I saw her. I haven't talked to her in a long time, so I don't know what's going on [with her], but I gave her a huge hug and she looks beautiful and I'm so happy that she's here."
Grande also came to Gomez's defense after the media kept labeling Gomez as Justin Bieber's ex. "I saw a headline—draw your own conclusions [on the subjects] because it'll be so much drama that I don't want—they called someone another someone's ex, and that pissed me off," she told Billboard. "This person has had so many great records in the last year, and she hasn't been dating him forever. Call her by her name!"
Wait—why isn't Grande in Swift's squad yet?
But she's not Swift's BFF quite yet
If Radar Online is to be believed, Grande simply may not be cool enough to sit with Swift and her squad. According to a report from the tabloid site, Grande and her brother, Frankie, were allegedly blocked from approaching Swift at her secret MTV Video Music Awards after-party in 2015. Swift allegedly "made it clear to security not to let them near [her]," a source told Radar.
Grande's fans have dissed Swift
In the age of the internet, fans of pop divas have become stronger than ever. Just look at what the "Beyhive" did to fashion designer Rachel Roy after Beyonce's Lemonade debuted in 2016. The same can be said of Grande's fans, who got pretty ticked off when Swift beat the "Side to Side" singer in the category for best pop vocal album at the 2015 Grammys. "Imagine [if] Taylor Swift had the vocals of Ariana Grande," tweeted one fan (via Business Insider). "It's not just the vocals, it's the craft of the album as well," tweeted another.
To which Grande was probably all, "Ugh, guys—stop it. You're embarrassing me!"