Ariana Grande explains Mac Miller's absence from her burn book in 'thank u, next' video

The singer, 25, flips through a scrapbook filled with photos of her exes in the record-breaking clip

Ariana Grande's Mean-Girls-themed video for her song "thank u, next" is filled with references to the beloved 2004 teen comedy – down to the "burn book" kept by Regina George and her posse to archive rumours and gossip about other students at their high school.

The singer's version, however, is filled not with demeaning comments but with affectionate feedback about several of her exes, from Big Sean to Pete Davidson, with one notable absence.

Mac Miller, whom Grande dated for almost two years before their break-up was announced in May, isn't named in the scrapbook. Miller died September this year of a drug overdose.

Fifty seconds into the "thank u, next" video, Grande begins singing about her exes while flipping through the pages of her book.

She mentions her former boyfriends Big Sean – real name Sean Michael Leonard Anderson – while turning a page on which she has scribbled the words "so cute" and "so sweet".

The part of the scrapbook dedicated to her ex boyfriend Ricky Alvarez reads "great dancer", "good times man" and "friends forever".

Davidson's page bears the words "I love u always" "HUUUUGE", and "Sry I dipped."

Grande's lyrics then reference Miller as she sings: "Wish I could say thank you to Malcolm, 'cause he was an angel."

At this point, however, the singer is no longer flipping through the pages of her burn book and is simply staring pensively into the distance.

She explained Miller's absence in a tweet responding to a fan, writing: "M ain’t in the book he next to my bed."

There doesn't appear to be a clearly visible image of Miller in the clip, but Grande's comment seems to echo her lyrics and the reference to Miller as an "angel".

The clip for "thank u, next" has broken YouTube's record for the most viewed clip in the first 24 hours of its release, as noted by Variety, beating previous record holders BTS and their video for "Idol".

It has now had more than 90 million views on the streaming platform.