Crews 
So when you first heard ‘The Way'(feat. Mac Miller) on the radio, if you were like me you thought, WOW this is a hot new Mariah Carey song. Only to find out it was Nickelodeon actress/singer Ariana Grande. Naturally from then on the comparisons began.
Of course Grande has since defined herself, with her debut album ‘Yours Truly’ which debuted at no. 1 on billboard this past summer. However, in an interesting move that is sure to raise some eyebrows, Ariana listed her ‘Top Five Most Inspirational Female Singers’ in an interview with Billboard. Check her top 5 list below, which we absolutely co-sign especially three in particular, despite one obvious omission:
1. Imogen Heap
Ariana Grande: I’m absolutely her number one fan. I appreciate her musicality so much. Her brain is a musical heaven. Every single part of each of her songs is so intricate and I just can’t get enough of her. I love music more than anything, and she’s just a big cloud of music happiness and harmonies and sounds. I just want to live in her brain forever.
2. India Arie
Ariana Grande: Her voice is heaven. It’s so soothing, and her lyrics are so healing and delicious. Her music makes me feel like everything is going to be okay, you know? Like I feel like my best girlfriend is singing to me and giving me life advice. I love that feeling of comfort and warmth I get when I listen to her.
3. Judy Garland
Ariana Grande: I grew up watching videos of her concerts and her movies. Every day my mom and I would watch a different Judy Garland VHS. I love how she tells a story when she sings. It was just about her voice and the words she was singing — no strings attached or silly hair or costumes, just a woman singing her heart out. I feel like that doesn’t happen that much anymore.
4. Whitney Houston
Ariana Grande: Whitney holds such a special place in my heart. She inspired me to start singing as a little girl. I’d watch “The Bodyguard” and tell my mom I wanted to do that one day. Her riffs are so precise and I love her tone. She’s my inspiration.
5. Brandy
Ariana Grande: I’m obsessed with the sweetness of her voice and I love her songs. Her riffs are also incredibly on point. Nothing excites me more than an extraordinarily precise run. I also met her once and she was just as sweet as can be. As you can imagine, I’ve watched the “Cinderella” with Whitney and Brandy a million times!
Although we absolutely love her choices, and you can tell as a real vocalist she knows her stuff, one can’t help but wonder why Carey, who clearly is her biggest vocal inspiration didn’t make her list, what do you think?
