Did Ariana Grande's mother think she would grow up to be a serial killer? Singer's "dark and deranged" phase explored

Having been in the music industry for over a decade, Ariana Grande has learnt to deal with any controversy efficiently.

However, some might find it difficult to find that the 7 Rings singer was not always this way. In a 2014 interview with Billboard, Grande opened up about her "dark and deranged" phase from childhood, saying:

"There was a stage, when I was 3 or 4, where my mom thought I might grow up to be a serial killer."

Ariana Grande's interview with Billboard was published on August 2014, a little ahead of the launch of her sophomore album, My Everything.

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Ariana Grande confessed to being "a very weird little girl" growing up

In her interview with Billboard, Ariana Grande admitted how the image that people have of her, is quite contrary to the truth, saying:

"I think people see me as a little cutesy thing. But I'm literally the most sardonic person you've ever met."

Looking back at her childhood days in Boca Raton, Florida, the Problem singer added how she was "a very weird little girl" growing up, further calling herself:

"Dark and deranged. I always wanted to have skeleton face paint on or be wearing a Freddy Krueger mask, and I would carry a hockey stick around. I was like a mini-Helena Bonham Carter."

To draw a more concrete picture of her "dark" phase, Grande recalled an incident from her fifth birthday party which had a Jaws theme. All her friends had left the party, crying. Grande said that she was still the same, but it was a matter of worry when she was a child.

However, soon after that birthday party, Ariana's life began to take a creative turn. A few years later, the singer-actress joined the community theatre.

By the time she reached her freshman year of high school, she had already landed her first casting in the Broadway musical show 13. The musical made way for Nickelodeon's Victorious, in which Grande played Cat Valentine for three years.

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Ariana Grande called herself a "workaholic" in the interview

It was when Ariana Grande was still acting on Nickelodeon that the musical cover videos Grande had uploaded on YouTube were shown to Monte Lipman - the CEO/ Chairman of Republic Records -by a friend.

Lipman set up a meeting with Ariana Grande in LA, which went in a surprising direction for them all. Talking about the meeting in the 2014 Billboard interview, Grande recalled that when she shared her dream of making an R&B album with her managers, they asked her who would want to purchase such an album by a 14-year old.

Monte Lipman, who was also a part of the interview, spoke about Grande:

"Because she is a perfectionist, the one thing I’ll say to her every now and again is, ‘Ari, perfect is not always about being perfect — it’s those flaws that people can relate to. I don’t want you to get to the point where you’re gritting your teeth and your fists are all balled up."

Ariana, who was in agreement with Lipman's words, confessed:

"I’m a micromanaging workhorse. Absolutely an obsessive-compulsive workaholic."

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Grande confessed that she had been a hardworker since childhood

Talking more about her workaholic trait, the Thank U, Next singer admitted that she had been this way since her childhood days.

When she was 8 and cast to play Annie, Grande was eager to play the character in every single show that took place around the year. In shows where she wasn't given the role, Ari would be happy to be a chorus girl or even simply work on the lighting.

Ariana also mentioned how her brother, Frankie Grande, had the star status in the family as they were growing up. The singer-songwriter expressed gratitude to her family members for always being there for her as she pursued a career in acting and later, music. She said,

“My brother and my mom and my grandparents were always there. And my dad, until my parents split up when I was 8 or 9.”

Ariana Grande had grown out of touch with her father, Edward Butera, following the divorce of her parents. However, the two reconciled a few years ago, when Grande took both her parents to the Grammy Awards 2020.