No, it wasn’t clickbait. Today I interviewed someone who casually texts Ariana Grande. Raquel Trinidad is an insanely talented vocalist from Tampa, Florida, who competed with Team Ariana on season 21 of The Voice.
I started the interview with the most pressing question: “What is Ariana Grande really like?” Well, if you were looking for the tea, look elsewhere. Raquel said that Ariana is exactly as she seems: super genuine, sweet and “such a queen.” Ariana keeps in touch with the contestants and really feels like a mentor. Raquel says that she thinks Ariana has been through a lot and just wants to impart the multitude of lessons she learned along the way to budding new artists. In fact, Ariana Grande was one of the first people to know about Raquel’s recent engagement and was “super excited and supportive.”
I then asked, “So, ‘groovyraq’, you’ve gained a bit of a following, the ‘RaqCity.’ I’ve seen a lot of cool fan art and awesome supporters online, what is the coolest thing that a fan has done so far?”
Raquel was pretty enthusiastic when she told me about a girl who’s sending her custom tie-dyed hoodies with her face on them, and of an Instagram page that made fan art after every single episode Raquel was on. However, Raquel’s smooth humble cadence wasn’t truly shaken until she told me about a woman she met after a recent performance. The woman was tremendously excited to have bumped into Raquel and told her how much she and her three young daughters were rooting for her throughout the show.
“Was there someone, besides yourself, that you were rooting for from the beginning?” I asked.
“Riley, Jeremy and Holly are some of my favorite people,” Raquel said. “And the winners were really, really talented—I love them too.”
“On the topic of relationships made through the show, in addition to contestants, there was, of course, Ariana Grande, guest coaches, like Ed Sheeran and Kristen Chenoweth, new fans, which connections stand out to you?” I asked.
“There are definitely some collaborations coming with fellow contestants and of course, we’ve already talked about how awesome Ariana is,” Raquel said.
She then explained that there’s a part in the show when Raquel was filmed in Miami, where she currently lives, and said that she’s still in contact with the local videographers that the show sourced. She also knows she can still reach out to a vocal coach from the show who is best known as Adam Levine’s vocal coach.
“Beyond The Voice, what is your dream musical collaboration?” I asked.
“Frank Ocean for sure, Daniel Caesar, Sia, SZA and of course Ariana Grande,” she said.
“Before I go, I have to mention the outfits! Where did this awesome wardrobe come from, did you get to keep anything, do you see a ‘groovyraq’ clothing line in your future? Tell us everything.” I asked.
“Oh my gosh, how cool would that be,” Raquel said about a future clothing line.
She also said that The Voice styled her and that they did an amazing job, she was happy too that she got to keep everything she wore on the show!
“And finally, what is next for Raquel Trinidad?” I asked.
After recently releasing “Have 2,” Raquel is writing a bunch more music with some really cool people and is working on her album. She’s also really happy as a jazz singer, singing around Miami at different hotels and venues! If you want to follow Raquel’s growing career be sure to follow her on Instagram, Twitter and Spotify!
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