One question has been on Mac Miller and Ariana Grande fans’ minds since his final album, Circles, dropped last night: Is that Ariana Grande on the song “I Can See� Followed closely by, “Should we or should we not be crying right now?†Fans are convinced that Grande harmonizes alongside Miller on his new posthumous song “I Can See.†Producer Jon Brion brought Miller’s unfinished album, Circles, together after the rapper’s unexpected death in September 2018. Miller and Grande dated for two years. They collaborated on Grande’s song “The Way†and Miller’s song “My Favorite Part.†While he and Grande broke up months before his death, Grande has been open about her love and grief ever since. So, you see why Grande and Miller fans heard harmonies from a female voice on the new album and immediately thought that it must be Grande.
A representative for Miller told Vulture they had “no comment†on whether or not Grande is on the track; Miller is the only credited vocalist. Grande herself hasn’t confirmed or denied her involvement (she’s only reposted the album cover on her Instagram story), nor has anyone else who contributed to the project. But Grande did tweet something on Thursday that may or may not be a reference to the harmonies. “I love adding more harmonies than anyone will ever notice or hear that no one ever asked for or needed,†she tweeted. Well, if this is about “I Can See,†Grande should know by now to never underestimate an Arianator. They most definitely noticed.
Update, January 21, 7:50 a.m.: Brion, who took over Circles after Miller’s death, revealed to the New York Times that he doesn’t actually know if Grande sings the harmonies on “I Can See,†but said, “I believe they are.†“Somebody just told me something about that,†he said. “That was a pre-existing track … I played some things on those tracks to make them feel like the others, but those vocals were already there. It wasn’t like an executive decision or anything.†“I Can See,†“Complicated,†“Blue World,†and “Everything†were all songs that Miller worked on independently from Brion, but the producer brought them in because they worked “thematically†with the new album. So, it’s unclear who knows whether or not it’s Grande on the track. It might just be a little secret between her and Miller.