Now that Ariana Grande’s donut-licking, America-hating incident is safely behind her, she’s back to publicly insisting that she is never, ever a diva. Ha! While I think some of the stories about her diva ‘tude might have been exaggerated, I really have to say that I believe Ariana has a terrible attitude, that she’s constantly mouthing off and that she might benefit from some media-training skills. There are simply too many stories – plus that donut video – about her rotten attitude and crappy personality. Still, Ariana tries to make us believe. Some highlights from Ariana’s V Magazine interview:

Being told she feels like an old soul: “I take that as a compliment. I do feel like I’m an old soul. I don’t know why. My Kabbalah teacher, Ruthie, also tells me I’m a very old soul. So I believe it. I’ve been around the block.”

Whether she’s really a diva: “It’s sort of the media’s job to make things up in order to keep their audience interested. In a way, I kind of understand them. But I don’t really look at the Internet anymore. The only reason I go on is to post things for my fans. I don’t read anything anymore because I came to an understanding that, okay, sometimes these people are going to say nice things, and sometimes they’re going to say fake things because they need to keep their readers curious and interested.”

Her love for the LGBTQ community: “I mean, here’s the thing: I wasn’t raised in a household where it was considered abnormal to be gay. So for me to meet people who use the word “fa–ot” as an insult, with a derogatory meaning, I can’t take it. I don’t understand it. It’s so foreign to me. I was raised in a household where being gay was like, the most normal thing. You know, my brother is gay, all of my best friends are gay. When my brother came out of the closet, it wasn’t a big deal for my family…It’s outrageous to me when I see people hate on someone because of their sexuality. I hate the intolerance. I hate the judgment. I hate it so much. Most of my favorite people in my life are gay. It’s something I’m super passionate about, because whenever I would see my friends get bullied, or my brother get hurt for his sexuality, I would become a raging lunatic. I would literally become a raging lunatic because I just can’t take it. When you see someone you love hurting, for such a superficial, bullsh-t reason, it’s like, how small and spiritually unenlightened and dumb as f–k can a person be? How much further can your head get up your ass that you’re actually judging someone as a person based on their sexuality before you even have a conversation with them?

She loves Madonna: “I love Madonna. I met her a few times and she was so overwhelmingly kind and sweet, and down to earth, and motherly. She’s very, very maternal. I practice Kabbalah as well, so that was one of the first things she mentioned, because I had my Zohar in my pocket. She may have noticed, maybe not, but she brought it up. And we danced together at her Oscar party. That’s all I can ever ask for. She inspires me endlessly. I’m so inspired by her fearlessness…Like, this is me, and if you don’t like it, go f–k yourself.”

Using her sexuality in her career: “Some days I feel more comfortable using sexuality in my work, and then some days I feel like being a little more reserved. I think that’s why I’m in the middle of this whole conversation of, what is she? Is she a good girl or is she a bad girl? I think that I’m both. I don’t need to be either. I don’t need to be a pop princess who is America’s sweetheart or the next rebellious, wild, young thing. I don’t need to pick or choose. I can show skin and swear like a sailor but also be a good role model. I think that I’m a good person. I don’t think cursing makes you a bad person. I don’t think showing skin or kissing boys makes you a bad person. I don’t think that expressing sexuality makes you a bad person at all. I don’t think that’s bad…I think it’s great! We need to encourage each other to do what we want and not let it totally define us. You know? The things that people think define them aren’t valid either.

[From V Magazine]

I actually found myself agreeing with her about whether or not using her sexuality defines her as an artist or whether she’s selling a certain image. While I think it’s creepy to see someone so young-looking performing in lingerie-inspired looks, her attitude on this subject is on-point. As for her insistance that she doesn’t go on the internet and all the stories about her diva antics are completely false… yeah right, donut-licker.

Photos courtesy of Alfredo Flores/V Magazine and WENN.