Washington, Feb. 4 -- Singer-songwriter and actress Ariana Grande, reacted to the criticism that she now speaks with a higher-pitched voice than in the past.

"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," said Ariana on the recent episode of the Smartless podcast, "is if I have a long day of press or if I have to sing, I'll place my voice a little higher," she added, reported E News.

Grande, whose performance in 'Wicked' earned her an Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actress, added, "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 ...