“This is the press answer I’ve been trained to repeat.”

If you’ve been an avid reader of The Lava Lizard, you know I haven’t missed an opportunity to highlight Ariana Grande’s obvious imitation of Mariah Carey. However, although “The Way” producer Harmony Samuels already confirmed he worked to reinvent the latter’s sound, Grande’s has offered an interesting explanation for any parallels between her and her idol.

Grande rightly stated that all new female artists are compared to more established acts when they first enter the spotlight as a way for people to better understand their style. She even stressed that when Carey broke onto the music scene, she was initially likened to the then dominant Whitney Houston, who was previously referred to as the second coming of Aretha Franklin. Yet, there is a flaw in Grande’s reasoning.

Although Carey was once compared to Houston, she never emulated her counterpart’s music or look, and she had a style that was quite refreshing, thus leading to her instant success. Yes, Carey undoubtedly followed in Houston’s footsteps as the next great melodramatic MOR diva but beyond their marketing and a few musical themes, neither of which were crafted by Houston, there were no obvious similarities.

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All Grande’s camp has done thus far, on the other hand, is clone Carey’s greatest hits and even her 1994 hairstyle – Grande’s hair was red before she started promoting “The Way” – with no mention of the source in the credits. So, the media isn’t responsible for any comparisons between the two singers; those parallels stem from basic observation.

Watch Grande respectfully discuss and praise Carey during her interview with The Grammys below:

Thoughts?