Ariana Grande Honors Mac Miller With Re-Release of ‘The Way’ for Song’s 10th Anniversary

Ariana Grande remembers Mac Miller. This year marks the tenth anniversary of Grande’s debut album, Yours Truly, and as part of the celebration, the album has been reissued in a deluxe edition. During her “Live From London” version of her hit song, the 30-year-old singer delivers the top track along with Miller’s vocals, which are added to the official audio video. Toward the end of the video, Grande pays tribute to Miller by illuminating the word “Feat. Mac Miller” in white as the video fades to black. In the spring of 2023, Grande and Miller released the sexy music video for the song “The Way” ahead of Yours Truly, which became a smash hit. Their magnetic chemistry was evident in the video. As part of the 10-year anniversary celebration of “The Way” on March 20, 2023, Grande reposted the song’s video on her Instagram Story and wrote for Miller, “I love you,” at the bottom of the post.

It was in 2012 that the Wicked star and Miller first collaborated on a Christmas song, which led to a friendship. Their relationship began to blossom after they worked together on the song “The Way.” The relationship became public in 2016, but Grande and Miller broke up in May 2018 despite remaining friends. Unfortunately, Mac died months later, in September 2018, at the age of 26, from an accidental drug overdose. In a heartbreaking tribute on Instagram after his death, Grande wrote, “I adored you from the day I met you when I was nineteen and I always will. I can’t believe you aren’t here anymore. I really can’t wrap my head around it. We talked about this. So many times. Im so mad, I’m so sad. I don’t know what to do.” She added, “You were my dearest friend. For so long. Above anything else. I’m so sorry I couldn’t fix or take your pain away. I really wanted to. The kindest, sweetest soul with demons he never deserved. I hope you’re okay now. Rest.”

She talked about Mac for her 2019 Vogue cover story, one of the few times she has spoken publicly about it. “It’s pretty all-consuming,” Grande said about her grief. “By no means was what we had perfect, but, like, f**k. He was the best person ever, and he didn’t deserve the demons he had. I was the glue for such a long time, and I found myself becoming . . . less and less sticky. The pieces just started to float away.” It has been more than a decade since Miller’s death, and Grande has found various ways to continue showing her affection for him. She has talked about Mac in songs like “Thank U, Next,” “Ghostin,” and “Just Like Magic.” On top of that, she has also acquired a tattoo in honor of her late ex.