Frankie Grande took to Instagram to share an inspiring story of recovery in a Reel he recorded on a mountaintop in Tucson as he released a new version of “Hotel Rock Bottom,” the title track to his first album, featuring his half-sister Ariana Grande.
In the Reel, a shirtless Frankie Grande explains the location.
“I’m up at the top of a mountain in Tucson, Arizona, and this is where I used to come when I was drinking and using and I knew I had a problem, but I wasn’t ready to get sober and I didn’t know how,” Grande begins.
“So I would come here and I would get connected with nature and get sober for a few days and then try to bring that sobriety back to the city and the chaos and the crazy and it would last for about I would say two to three weeks maybe and then I’d be back to drinking and using every single night.”
He was on that mountain, he continues, right before he hit rock bottom, the inspiration behind the writing of “Hotel Rock Bottom.”
He said the Reel was shot on his first visit to that mountain since he’s been back in sobriety.
“And it’s amazing that I just released ‘Hotel Rock Bottom’ into the world and that I’ve been able to return here now fully sober over eight years,” Grande says.
“And it’s incredible, so I just wanted to be able to say how unbelievably appreciative I am of the journey that I’ve gone through in my life and the fact that my little sister has joined me on this song and she is a huge reason as to why I am sober today and why I’m able to stay sober ’cause she helped me get sober in the first place.”
The track also features Grande’s mother, which he says is also "so powerful" for him.
“And I just am filled with such gratitude as I sit up on this mountain eight years later, having gone through such a journey and returned back here,” he says.
“And now I’m on the total other side, total opposite end of the spectrum as I was last time I was here, which was filled with desperation and filled with loss and devoid of hope. And now I am filled with hope and joy and excitement, and I’m so grateful that I’ve come back full circle to where I started eight years ago, like anything is possible."
Grande signs off with a message of hope for those who may be struggling with addictions of their own.
"So if you need help, just ask for it," he says. "It will be there for you. I love you. I hope my music is speaking to you.”
Ed has covered pop music for The Republic since 2007, reviewing festivals and concerts, interviewing legends, covering the local scene and more. He did the same in Pittsburgh for more than a decade. Follow him on X and Instagram @edmasley and on Facebook as Ed Masley. Email him at ed.masley@arizonarepublic.com.
This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Frankie Grande celebrates sobriety on Arizona mountaintop
