Ariana Grande's debut album "Yours Truly" was released almost a decade ago, and it was the album that put her on the music map, coupled with the releases of "The Way," "Baby I," and "Right There."
However, apparently, "Yours Truly" was originally intended for Jordin Sparks instead of the singer/actress. Here is how it all went down.
"Jordin Sparks is the originator of those records and the blueprint behind who Ari is now. My vision was for Jordin to be that person," Harmony Samuels, the producer, revealed.
Samuels, also known as H-money, is a producer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist; he has worked with several artists like Mary J. Blige, Ciara, Janet Jackson, Ne-Yo, Jennifer Lopez, and more.
The One That Got Away?
"Yours Truly" was released in 2013, but apparently, it has been in the works for much longer, especially since apparently, the album was momentarily shelved.
According to reports, Sparks' label allegedly did not have a budget allocated for the singer to drop an album that year.
Additionally, RCA Records was not interested in the album, noting that it was not fit for the singer.
"Unfortunately, RCA didn't see the value in what I was producing for Jordin, and they proceeded to go in a different direction," Samuels added.
Sparks eventually left RCA Records in favor of Salaam Remi's Louder Than Life. With her new label, the singer dropped "Right Here Right Now," and left the album intended for her behind.
In addition to that, "The Way" is a personal song for Sparks, as she had written it about her then-relationship with Jason Derulo.
However, the singer was still grateful that "The Way" managed to make its way out of the archives and into the music charts.
"It was gonna go on my record and somehow her people heard it, she loved it," Sparks said in an interview. "She cut it [and] she did an amazing job and it keeps on rising [up the charts]."
'Yours Truly'
Grande began recording "Yours Truly" in 2010 while she was filming "Victorious." It was the time when she was slowly transitioning from an actress to a fully-fledged singer.
It was well received by the public and garnered decent ratings from Metacritic, Billboard, Los Angeles Times, Pitchfork, AllMusic, and more.
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