Ariana Grande Is This Record Label’s The One That Got Away

Ariana Grande has had nothing short of a successful run in the music industry since her debut in 2011. This is also the year when Atlantic Records, one of America’s largest recording companies, took a pass on the budding pop star.

Almost 8 years later, the recording enterprise acknowledged its mistake. The company’s president, Pete Ganbarg, admitted that they “got that one wrong” in not signing the pop star.

Earlier last week, the recording company posted a Q&A on their official Twitter account under the hashtag “#WorkingAtAtlantic.” The portion features questions directed to Atlantic Records’ President Ganbarg. The Twitter series was aptly named “Five Questions With Pete Ganbard A&R.”

“If there is one, which artist for you is the one that got away?” asked one user. At this point, Ganbarg bashedly admitted that it was, in fact, the world-renowned Ariana Grande.

“We met with Ariana Grande when she was very young, her talent was obvious but, as she was coming off broadway and TV, we weren’t sure how that would eventually be maximized for a broader audience,” answered the president. “We got that one wrong.”

Fans of the hit singer were quick to point out Atlantic Records’ missed opportunity. “You lost the queen of pop,” one user commented.

But being passed up by one of America’s largest record labels didn’t stop Grande from shining, which is evident in her triumphant career. Just in August this year, Grande gave a shout-out to Republic Records after having celebrated her 8th anniversary with the label.

“Signed to @RepublicRecords eight years ago today and released my debut album six years ago,” tweeted Grande. “Thankful for my republic family and deeply proud of every project we’ve released together. music is the most special thing in the world. thank u for believing in me and my voice.”

Grande is the first female artist to have landed the Top 6 in the Digital Songs Chart with three songs — “Problem,” “Break Free” and “Bang Bang” — on the list. Her albums and singles have won awards and made it to the top of Billboard charts. She has also won two Billboard Music Awards, three American Music Awards, a Brit Award and a Grammy Award.