Ariana Grande can only speak for herself, but if you ask her, Imogen Heap‘s sophomore album is one of the greatest collections of music ever made.
On Friday (Oct. 17), the pop superstar took to her Instagram Story to gush about Speak for Yourself in honor of the LP’s 20th anniversary — and Heap noticed. “Happy 20th anniversary to Speak For Yourself @imogenheap i love you so,” Grande wrote before catching her idol’s attention shortly afterward.
“Everything she’s ever done and continues to do is perfect and also the most influential thing that has ever happened in music literally every time,” Grande continued of Heap.
The Wicked actress also shared screenshots of her favorite tracks: “Headlock,” “Loose Ends” and “Hide and Seek,” which Grande said “changed (literally) everything forever.”
Shortly after Grande’s posts, Heap reshared one of them onto her own Story and wrote, “Well @arianagrande I’m pretty sure this album has been largely kept alive and revived by the likes of you too over the years.”
“Love and respect so many things you’ve done over the years,” Heap added of Grande, who reacted to the shoutout with an Instagram sticker of a cat lying in a pool of tears. “A fellow geek at heart also.”
Heap dropped Speak for Yourself in 2005. It is considered one of the innovator’s most quintessential works and debuted at No. 145 on the Billboard 200.
Grande has been vocal in her adoration of Heap since the beginning of the Victorious alum’s career. On her 2015 Honeymoon Tour, Grande incorporated Mi.Mu gloves — which Heap developed and sent specially to the hitmaker — into her set. On 2018’s Sweetener album, Grande interpolated “Hide and Seek” for her song “Goodnight n Go.”
Heap has also praised Grande in the past. “I appreciate Ariana to the point where I get teary even talking about her,” she told Billboard of the vocalist this past January. “She remains consistently kind, thoughtful and open. Recently, I reached out to thousands of people ahead of an Auracles launch. When I spoke to Ariana about it, she was like, ‘Whatever help you need, let me know.’ Having that support from someone who is so high-profile and influential made me feel really validated. People say, ‘Oh God, I am so busy’ – but they can’t possibly be as busy as Ariana Grande!”
“I am so grateful she found a connection with my work, and she has been so nice about what it means to her,” Heap added at the time.
