Malala Was Right To Call This Ariana Grande Song Empowering

We love seeing women supporting other women. On March 7, Nobel Peace Prize winner Malala Yousafzai spoke about her love of Ariana Grande in a new episode of Apple Watch’s “Time to Walk” series. It’s amazing to see that one of the world’s leading activists knows the power of a good pop song.

While appearing on the Apple Fitness+ “Time To Walk” series, an audio experience where a featured guest shares meaningful stories and their favorite songs on a walk of their own, Yousafzai shouted-out a Grande classic. "I sometimes listen to Ariana Grande's songs, and she has this beautiful voice,” Yousafzai said. “I love her song called ‘Dangerous Woman.’” As do I. Honestly, who doesn’t love that 2016 bop?

“Listening to this song is really a moment of empowerment. It is also a reminder that women are powerful. They're strong. They can do anything that they want and that they deserve equal rights, and they should have equal rights,” Yousafzai continued.

In addition to Grande, Yousafzai said she especially enjoys songs like “O Mundo É Um Moinho” by Brazilian singer Beth Carvalho and “Bombay Theme” (off the 1995 film Bombay) by Indian composer A. R. Rahman. She also discussed in the episode her years of activism and the power of friendship.

The next question I have for Yousafzai is what is her favorite love song by Grande? I’m sure she has one as the Pakistani activist married Asser Malik in November. She shared her thoughts about marriage, as well as her wedding photos, with British Vogue last fall.

Much like fellow newlywed Grande (who married real estate agent Dalton Gomez in May), Yousafzai appears deeply in love. Since the wedding, Yousafzai posted a photo with Malik on Instagram in December and captioned it simply with a red heart emoji.

All the while, Yousafzai is continuing her fight for women’s rights. Her appearance on “Time To Walk” comes a day ahead of International Women’s Day, which is March 8. Over the weekend on March 6, Yousafzai also called for women to have the right to wear what they want in her Podium newsletter.

Yousafzai began advocating for women’s rights at just 11 years old. Due to her speaking out about the importance of education for Pakistani girls, a Taliban gunman shot her in 2012. Despite this, Yousafzai continued her advocacy by launching the Malala Fund with her father, Ziauddin, in 2013. As the non-profit organization says on their website, they work to create “a world where every girl can learn and lead.”

To hear Yousafzai’s “Time to Walk” episode, make sure to check out the series available on Apple Watch devices.