Ariana Grande called 2018 “one of the best” for her career, but “the worst” year of her life
In the early part of the year, Grande announced she would release her fourth studio album, “Sweetener,” her first since the Manchester bombing attack that left 22 people dead at her “Dangerous Woman World Tour” show in the city in May 2017.
In November, she released “thank u, next,” her first #1 single and revealing that she was working on new music. In December, she was named Billboard’s Woman of the Year, addressing her rollercoaster year with the audience.
In her acceptance speech, Grande said, “I find it interesting that this has been one of the best years of my career and the worst of my life,” alluding to her career successes and relationship challenges.
In May, she began dating Pete Davidson after announcing that same month that she’d split from longtime partner Mac Miller. Grande and Davidson had a whirlwind romance that resulted in an engagement and a breakup over the course of five months.
In September, Miller died as a result of an apparent drug overdose at the age of 26.