Ariana Grande is looking back on a no-nonsense advice her grandmother, Marjorie, gave her before her death earlier this year in June.
Speaking at Chapman University, the Wicked actress, 32, began by revealing that her grandmother never sugar-coated anything, especially when Grande was stressed about work.
Asked what advice Marjorie relied on most, Grande said her mantra was “f*** ’em.”
She explained that her grandmother had a “badass Brooklyn” sensibility and could cut through any anxiety, insecurity, or fear with a few blunt words.
“She had the most amazing way of simplifying anything I was ever going through,” Grande said. “I hear her saying it now… I feel her on my shoulder giving me strength when I feel like I don’t have any.”
Grande has long spoken about her close bond with Marjorie, whom she called Nonna.
At 98, Marjorie appeared on Grande’s track Ordinary Things and became the oldest artist to ever appear on the Billboard Hot 100.