Nathan Sykes and Ariana Grande, who dated and broke up in 2013, met up again in January to record a new duet version of Sykes's song "Over and Over Again."
Sykes explained in an interview with Huff Post Live on Feb. 22 why "Over and Over Again," a love ballad, was not uncomfortable to record with Grande despite the pair's history.
Earlier, on Feb. 5, Sykes said that he told Grande, "It's only as awkward as everyone else makes it. If we don't make it awkward, then at the end of the day, after a couple of weeks, it's not going to be awkward anymore," Entertainment Tonight reported.
In Sykes's Feb. 22 interview, he explained that he finds it easier to sing a love song with someone he knows because it is such a personal thing. Grande made it comfortable for the two, and Sykes thinks their relationship feels like hundreds of years ago, according to Us Weekly. Both Sykes and Grande have changed and grown in the three years since dating, allowing them to be friends.
“The reason why we both wanted to do this collaboration is because what is the most important thing is the music. That’s the reason why we’ve done it," Sykes said.
Sykes and Grande first collaborated with the song "Almost is Never Enough" from Grande's first solo album in 2013.