Ariana Grande Honors Mac Miller on 6th Anniversary of Their ‘The Way’ Collaboration

In 2013, Ariana Grande and Mac Miller released their collaboration, “The Way,” which appeared on Grande’s first studio album, Yours Truly. On Monday, March 25, Grande marked the six-year anniversary of the track with a post on her Instagram Story, and while she didn’t note what she was specifically referring to, fans got the message.

The singer’s post was simple, with Grande sharing a blank black screen with the words “six years” along with a small white heart.

“The Way” was the first collaboration between Grande and Miller and Grande’s first song to chart on the Billboard Hot 100.

That post was followed by a photo of Miller’s dog, Myron, wearing a harness and looking ready for a walk. Grande has seemingly been taking care of Myron since Miller’s death in September 2018 of an accidental overdose.

Grande also shared a selfie with Myron in which the pup had his head resting on the star’s shoulder. “Real protective wit my soullll where YOUUUUUU been,” the caption read.

The 25-year-old has frequently shared photos of Myron since beginning to care for him, with the dog joining Grande’s numerous other pets. The Florida native even got a tattoo as a tribute to the pup, covering up ink on her foot inspired by her ex-fiancé Pete Davidson with Myron’s name.

Grande and Miller dated for almost two years before splitting in May 2018. They also collaborated on Miller’s song “My Favorite Part” from his 2016 album The Divine Feminine and the rapper appeared on a remix of Grande’s “Into You” from her 2016 effort Dangerous Woman.

On her 2018 album, Thank U, Next, Grande referenced “The Way” on the song “Imagine,” with the whistle tones at the end of both songs sounding very similar to one another. Many fans think “Imagine” was actually a tribute to Miller, as the rapper had the word “Imagine” tattooed on his arm. The song finds Grande pining for a relationship that, in her words, was “a simple, beautiful love that is now (and forever) unattainable,” which further led fans to believe the track is about the late rapper.

“I would say if ‘thank u, next’ = acceptance… ‘imagine’ = denial. hope that makes sense,” Grande previously explained on Instagram before tweeting, “kind of like… pretending [a breakup] never ended. denial. but i look forward to you hearing it and having your own experience with it. you may take away something totally different and specific to your life! love u.”

Photo Credit: YouTube / Ariana Grande