As her name suggests, Ariana and the Rose has fully blossomed—from her “piano chat” series, where she casually dished out hard-won advice like she was draped across a bar top (just with millions watching, chins in palms), to her debut late-night performance on Full Frontal with Samantha Bee. Now, she’s back with her latest project, The Breakup Variety Hour—a concept album born from a glitzy, grief-fueled pep talk that feels like it could’ve been scrawled by Sex and The City’s own Carrie Bradshaw. First staged at Joe’s Pub in New York in October 2024, the show has now evolved into a full-length record. We caught up with Ariana to talk about her comeback single, ‘I Just Came to Say Goodbye,’ the one stage of grief she wishes she could skip, and plenty more.
You are a performer. Aside from singing, you bring in the glamor of cabaret and the intimacy of a one-woman show. How did you come to perform in such a way?
I started my career in theater when I was a kid. I was working off-Broadway from the age of 13, so I think the world of theater is in my bones. And then I shifted away from that when I started writing pop music, so this record feels like a bit of a homecoming for me. During the pandemic, I started creating TikToks, and one of the series I made was “piano chats,” which was just the vamping section a musician does before singing a song. I took that part where you talk over chords and made little 45-second clips, talking about dating, relationships, women’s issues, and those videos went viral. It opened up a different way of thinking for me; I had never performed at the piano before. When things opened up again, I started doing piano shows at Club Cumming for fun, and that was the beginning of bringing this cabaret aspect into my live show. This album wouldn’t exist if I had never made those TikTok videos!
‘I Just Came To Say Goodbye’
‘I Just Came To Say Goodbye’ is your first song in three years! Has your process of creating and promoting music changed during that gap?
I know, it’s been a while! Well, I went on tour after my last record came out and was able to do headline shows for the first time in my career, which was so cool. I could create the night in a way I had never had control of before. I knew when making this next album that I wanted to make something that was different than just a pop record. For a while, I wasn’t quite sure what that was, and then I was watching old videos of The Cher Show, and it dawned on me that I wanted the new album to be a one-woman show. The process of creating it was a bit longer because it’s a grander thing to create a storyline, a live component, and the album to go with it. I’m so excited to finally be putting it all out in the world and sharing it with everyone!
‘I Just Came To Say Goodbye’ is super fun and upbeat, with lyrics that are sad and seem to contradict that upbeat disco-esque feeling. What made you make that choice when creating this track?
My favorite kind of song to write is a crying-on-the-dance-floor one. There’s something so cathartic about being able to just sing the lyrics to a song or dance it out. I feel like that’s never needed more than when you’re going through a breakup. The song is the first song on my new album, and it sets the stage, sonically, lyrically, and vibe-wise for the rest of the record.
The visualizer for ‘I Just Came To Say Goodbye’ is gorgeous!! Does the color scheme of red/blue/purple and then black/white mean anything special about your view on relationships and breakups?
Thank you! I was very inspired by old school variety hour and TV specials, like Barbra Streisand’s specials from the ’60s. I wanted the colors to feel rich but a part of a tableau. All of the setups are inside of this spotlight, so it has this performance quality. I was playing with the idea of the “performance” of heartbreak and how each setup represents a different mood.
Creative safety is everything, and filming ‘ I Just Came To Say Goodbye’ in your NYC apartment gave you that sanctuary. But when you’re not on home turf—say, on set or at Club Cumming—what’s one thing you bring with you to help build creative trust in the space?
I have been so lucky to be a part of a creative community that prioritizes making sure spaces feel safe for the performers and audience members. Club Cumming creates a safe space all on its own, and performing there feels like home. I produced and performed in a party called Light + Space at House of Yes for many years, and that felt very similar, even though that’s a much bigger space. They create such a safe environment for everyone. When I’m on stage, it is my top priority that the audience feels like they can relax. That they’ve come to see a show and set their lives down for a little while, and I’ve got them. For me, before I go on, I do a quick meditation and a few deep breaths to just become very present in the room, and when I step out on stage, I just want to emanate that the audience is in good hands, and for the next hour, I’ve got them.
The Breakup Variety Hour
The Breakup Variety Hour is a concept album that walks listeners through the steps of a breakup. Is this an album that you believe needs to be listened to in order, or can we shuffle play it? Do you feel like that translates into healing from a breakup, in a linear way, versus jumping around from stage to stage?
I think you can listen to the record several ways. You can definitely listen in order; there are interludes that walk you through the steps in a very linear way. You can also jump around and take what you need. I spent the spring on tour in different cities in the US, and people would come up to me after the shows and say, “Oh, I’m at step four!” Or “I thought I was at step three, but I think I’m really at step two.” It was so fun and cool to see how people internalized the steps and songs and made them their own. My hope is that the album can be what people need it to be, depending on where they’re at in their healing process. Even if they’re in a loving, wonderful relationship, the steps are about letting go of pain and grief and moving through it to the other side.
Keeping up with that theme, is there a stage of healing from heartbreak you wish you could skip or fast forward through?
Yes, step three is the worst! I’ve titled it “Let the Rain Fall,” which is really just let yourself feel the grief. This step happens whether we like it or not. You can’t outrun the grief. And if you try to, it will hit you. I think leaning in is the only way to go, as hard as it can be. Grief is a beautiful emotion because it shows us that love was there. And the depth of our grief is proportionate to the depth of our love, which can feel so painful when we’re letting go, but is a necessary part of the process.
Which track on The Breakup Variety Hour has been your favorite to create? Can you walk us through the process of making that track?
One of my favorite tracks on the album is a song called ‘Romanticize Your Life.’ It’s a jazz standard that pulls from theater and music from the ’60s; it feels like a classic. The chords for the song just sort of came out of me one day, and I said, “Romanticize your life, paint it like a movie scene…” I wrote the whole chorus and brought it to my friend Jessica Karpov (Harloe), who is an incredible songwriter and co-wrote most of the tracks on the album with me. The whole thing just sort of fell out of us. I recorded the final version in LA, produced by Spencer Zahn and Benny Bock, playing this gorgeous piano part. I just think the song sounds like romance. I wanted to make something that allowed people to step inside of the little moments that feel romantic; taking yourself out on a date, having a glass of wine alone. Being present in the world and observing the moments that make you feel alive is the most romantic thing to me.
‘I’m Fine’ has a “fake it til you make it” theme that seems to be present throughout the whole album. What made you choose this track as the kick-off to your new album?
I love this song. I wanted to write a delusional anthem for all the unhinged people there! The song is in the context of a breakup, but it really captures a general feeling I think we’re all having right now, where everything feels so crazy and we all just have to go about our day being “fine.” It’s nuts! I wanted to create something that felt playful and fun, but also like it was going off the rails. I hope people listen to it and cry, dance, yell… whatever they need to do to let it out.
From your piano chats to The Breakup Variety Hour, you have been giving your listeners advice and showing support for marginalized communities, which we think is amazing. Can you share a little bit about the importance of using your platform and what that means to you?
We are living in very scary and stressful times. Marginalized communities are under attack in every corner of the US. I feel that if I’m going to get on the internet and talk about my thoughts and feelings, then ask people to listen, then I also have a responsibility to speak up for people who may not have that reach, that is a privilege I take seriously. I feel so grateful to have carved out a little corner of the internet that feels inclusive and positive, and a part of that is making sure people know who and what I stand for.
What’s your favorite track from The Breakup Variety Hour so far? Tell us by dropping the song that screams way too much about your worst breakup—without saying a word. Hit us up on Twitter, Instagram, or Facebook and spill (subtly).
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