Ariana Grande on Possible Country Crossover: ‘Gotta Make That Happen’

Ariana Grande lit up the stage – literally – at the 2014 CMA Awards, collaborating with Little Big Town on her own “Bang Bang” and the country quartet’s “Day Drinking” (while wearing an LED dress). And next month, country legend Ronnie Dunn will release an album titled after a cover of her song, “Tattooed Heart.” And though it seems like that’s probably where the pop starlet’s Nashville connections end, it turns out she has a family history with country music.

“My grandpa, he always wanted me to do something in the country world,” Grande tells Entertainment Tonight. “I don’t know if that would ever happen, [but] if that opportunity comes along, I’d have to say, ‘Hell yeah!’ [I] gotta make that happen someday.”

Still, the singer admits the Dixie Chicks were really the only country act she listened to growing up.

Grande is now prepping for her role as Penny in NBC’s live production of the Broadway musical, Hairspray, set for December 7th. She’ll spend the first part of 2017 on her Dangerous Woman tour and tweeted last week that she’ll soon add international dates to that trek. So any breath holding for the singer to fulfill her grandfather’s wish is ill advised.