01What happened

The story, straight

Gracie Abrams performed a cover of Ariana Grande's 'We Can't Be Friends (Wait for Your Love)' during a BBC Radio 1 Live Lounge session, as posted to r/popheads by user Frajer on June 18, 2026. Separately, Ariana Grande appears to be teasing a tracklist for a project called 'Petal,' with song titles including 'Kiss Me,' 'Hate That I Made You Love Me,' and 'Stay' surfacing on the same subreddit around the same time.

gracie abrams covered ariana's 'we can't be friends (wait for your love)' in the BBC Radio 1 Live Lounge — posted to r/popheads today. meanwhile ariana's apparently teasing a new project called 'Petal' with track titles like 'Kiss Me' and 'Hate That I Made You Love Me' popping up on the same sub.

02Spread timeline

Where it actually started

Jun 18, 2026Origin
User Frajer posts Gracie Abrams' Live Lounge cover of Ariana Grande's 'We Can't Be Friends.'frajer posts the gracie live lounge cover to popheads
source
Jun 18, 2026
User According-Moose2371 posts Ariana Grande's teased 'Petal' tracklist including 'Kiss Me,' 'Hate That I Made You Love Me,' and 'Stay.'another user posts ariana's petal tracklist tease on the same sub
source

03Source receipts

Every claim, linked

Reddit (r/popheads)Post linking to Gracie Abrams' BBC Radio 1 Live Lounge cover of 'We Can't Be Friends (Wait for Your Love)' by Ariana Grande.
primaryredditreceipt

04What's solid, what isn't

What's solid and what isn't

Confirmed
  • Gracie Abrams covered Ariana Grande's 'We Can't Be Friends (Wait for Your Love)' in the BBC Radio 1 Live Lounge.
Disputed
  • The exact date of the Live Lounge session itself — only the Reddit post date (June 18) is confirmed.
  • Whether 'Petal' is an album, EP, or other project — no official confirmation in the sources.
Developing
  • Ariana Grande's 'Petal' tracklist tease — titles are circulating but no official announcement is linked.

05Why it matters

The editorial take

Live Lounge covers remain a reliable pipeline for pop crossover visibility, and Abrams covering Grande signals mutual orbit between two of pop's current A-list. The concurrent 'Petal' tracklist tease from Grande adds context — both artists are active and cycling through the discourse at the same moment.

live lounge covers are still one of the most reliable ways to get a pop moment clipped and shared. gracie covering ariana while ariana's teasing new tracks is just good timing for both of them.