Ariana Grande is ending a less than joyful 2018 with a new tattoo that seems to set its sights on a much happier and career-focused new year. The tattoo, which the singer shared on Instagram Stories, says "Let's Sing" in Japanese. It was designed by artist Mira Mariah who also inked Grande’s moon tattoo, which she got at the beginning of the month. The artist has designed several of Grande's tattoos, including the worker bee she got in honor of the victims of the Manchester bombing, and her Spirited Away tattoo.
Mariah, 26, says she tries to make a statement on girl culture in her work. “I post a tattoo of a girl with a towel on her head and a face mask, smoking a cigarette, and there are all these girls who comment, like, "Oh that’s me!" It brings women together.” She believes her artwork resonates with people because her themes are universal, displaying plants, animals, girls, and even, hilariously, mom jeans.
The Florida singer had a tough 2018. She began a new relationship in May with SNL actor Pete Davidson after ending a two-year relationship with rapper Mac Miller. The two shocked many when they quickly became engaged, though the relationship ended in October 2018. The end of their relationship was preceded by the death of Mac Miller, who died on September 7, 2018, from a drug overdose. In November, the Los Angeles County Coroner revealed that the rapper died from an accidental drug overdose due to "mixed drug toxicity" of fentanyl, alcohol, and cocaine.
This year followed a devastating 2017, in which, one of her concerts in Manchester, England, was targeted by a suicide bomber, resulting in 23 deaths and more than 500 injured concertgoers. In June of last year, Grande organized a benefit concert, One Love Manchester, which raised more than $23 million for the bombing victims and families. The singer stated that she suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and anxiety after the tragedy.
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Not everything was negative for Grande this year. She was named Billboard’s Woman of the Year. She released Sweetener, her fourth studio album, which has received universal acclaim, debuting at number one on the Billboard 200 and becoming the 38th most popular album of the year. In March, she lent her voice to the March for Our Lives march in Washington to support gun control legislation. She also released a wildly successful new fragrance, Cloud, the fourth in her line of scents, which also includes Sweet Like Candy, Frankie, Ari and Moonlight. All are available at Ulta.com.
