Your Guide to Ariana Grande's Friend Group in '7 Rings'
In the seven days since Ariana Grande shared the first teaser for her new song “7 Rings,” Grande has posted numerous teasers to her social media featuring her closest friends, who are set to appear in the video. Five of the six friends were recipients of the titular seven rings: Tayla Parx, Victoria Monet, Njomza, Alexa Luria, and Courtney Chipolone. Grande also tagged dancer Rim Taya Shawki in her promo image; the sixth ring recipient, Kaydence, didn't appear in Ariana's promo images for the video.
The inspiration for the song's title stems from her breakup with her ex-boyfriend, Pete Davidson. Following the split, Ari and her clique got their matching rings, which she bought them during a shopping trip at Tiffany & Co.
"You know how when you’re waiting at Tiffany’s they give you lots of champagne?" Ariana told Billboard in her interview for Woman of the Year. "They got us very tipsy, so we bought seven engagement rings, and when I got back to the studio I gave everybody a friendship ring."
A post shared by Ariana Grande (@arianagrande) on Jan 12, 2019 at 11:06am PST
But who are the girls that got the rings? Here, a guide to girls, many of whom you'll see when the video drops.
Tayla Parx
A post shared by TAYLA PARX (@taylaparx) on May 19, 2018 at 11:54am PDT
Tayla, who goes by Tayla Parx as her stage name, is a singer/songwriter and actress. Her songwriting talent has earned her credit for three Billboard Hot 100 hits with "Love Lies" by Khalid and Normani, "High Hopes" by Panic! at the Disco, and most notably, Ari's first #1 single, "thank u, next." If she looks familiar, it's not your eyes playing tricks on you-her major role on-screen was as Little Inez in Hairspray in addition to her appearances in Everybody Hates Chris, Gilmore Girls, True Jackson VP, and more. Most recently, she appeared alongside Grande in her "thank u, next" performance on The Ellen DeGeneres Show.
Courtney Chipolone
soft smiles for the happiest of hours
A post shared by courtney (@courtneychipolone) on Mar 3, 2018 at 8:29am PST
Courtney is one of Ariana's closest friends dating back to when she lived in Boca Raton, Florida. In fact, Ariana is so close to Courtney that she has Courtney's name tattooed on her knee.
Ariana’s Instagram Story (June 7) pic.twitter.com/bWeXcxT5cS
- Ariana Grande Today (@ArianaToday) June 8, 2018
You might also recognize Courtney from her appearances alongside Ariana in the music video for "thank u, next."
remember when i thought i was just gonna walk by in the background
A post shared by courtney (@courtneychipolone) on Nov 30, 2018 at 10:05am PST
A post shared by courtney (@courtneychipolone) on Nov 19, 2018 at 10:04am PST
A post shared by courtney (@courtneychipolone) on Nov 24, 2018 at 7:50am PST
Njozma
A post shared by NJOMZA (@notnjomza) on Nov 10, 2018 at 4:57pm PST
Njozma is actually the one we have to thank for Ariana deciding to make "7 Rings." After the now famous trip to Tiffany's, she was the one who suggested the pair make a song about the champagne-filled shopping trip.
well ............. ‘twas a pretty rough day in nyc. my friends took me to tiffany’s. we had too much champagne. i bought us all rings. 💍 it was very insane and funny. & on the way back to the stu njomza was like ‘bitch, this gotta be a song lol’. so we wrote it that afternoon. https://t.co/CoczmPj1Fo
- Ariana Grande (@ArianaGrande) December 1, 2018
Like Parx, Njozma is also a singer-songwriter. The Chicago native worked with Ariana's ex, Mac Miller, before his passing and released her debut single through his label.
Alexa Luria
A post shared by Alexa Luria (@lexie1225) on Dec 13, 2018 at 7:25am PST
Alexa and Ariana go way back-all the way back to elementary school. The two had a chance encounter in gym class and have remained friends ever since.
A post shared by Alexa Luria (@lexie1225) on Jun 26, 2017 at 10:46am PDT
Alexa also played a part in the "thank u, next" music video.
“You can look but don’t you hump!” #thankunext ♡
A post shared by Alexa Luria (@lexie1225) on Nov 21, 2018 at 2:05pm PST
Victoria Monet
🍂✨thought about singing u a lullaby, but I’d rather keep you up all night 🌙🍂
A post shared by 🌙 Victoria Monét (@victoriamonet) on Sep 4, 2018 at 4:29pm PDT
Victoria is a singer-songwriter, and is one of the people responsible for making "thank u, next" the hit that it is. In addition to Grande, she's penned songs for Kendrick Lamar, Kanye West, Nas, T.I., and others. Victoria also performed as the opening act for Fifth Harmony's 7/27 tour and joined Ariana on the road while she toured for her third album, Dangerous Woman. Victoria also performed alongside Ariana and Tayla for their Ellen performance.
A post shared by 🌙 Victoria Monét (@victoriamonet) on Dec 31, 2018 at 6:07pm PST
Kaydence
A post shared by Kaydence (@kaydencevisus) on Jul 13, 2018 at 2:22pm PDT
Kaydence and Ariana's friendship is newer; they started working together for Sweetener. Kaydence was introduced to Ariana while she was making beats in a studio. Ariana wanted the beats she was making, the two hit it off, and their friendship was born.
Most talented bunch of humans in one photo, wow. I love you all ♥️🏆
A post shared by Kaydence (@kaydencevisus) on Oct 5, 2018 at 5:38am PDT
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