Ariana Grande has insisted she changes her speaking voice to "preserve" her vocal health

She told the 'Smartless' podcast: "The thing that I do that perplexes people so much - and it's just so funny because if you're a person who uses their voice, you know about this.

"If I have a long day of press or if I have to sing, I'll place [my voice] a little higher. I'll change my vocal placement to kind of preserve.

"But that is just something that's healthy for the voice. It's just basically pitching your voice up a tiny bit."

The 31-year-old star called out her haters, insisting the criticism of her voice is "interesting".

She argued: "It's just a normal thing for vocalists. But people are like, 'That's not her natural voice.'

"And I'm like, 'Well, it is actually, but it's just a little higher. All of it is natural.'"

Ariana faced a lot of criticism over her voice as Glinda the Good Witch in 'Wicked', and she acknowledged it won't end any time soon.

She quipped: "It's so funny because I've talked about it a zillion times, and people are still like, 'Where's your real voice?' And I'm like, 'Well, they all are.'"

Last month, Ariana insisted her higher pitch and altered articulation - which she developed for the role in 'Wicked' - could "stay with [her] forever".

She told Variety: "I think that might stay. Galinda required a lot of vocal work for me. Certain things maybe won't melt away.

"Some will, but I'm really grateful for the pieces that will stay with us forever... What a beautiful thing to be left with, and to feel the ghost of every day."