Bette Midler's stinging attack on Ariana Grande

Singer Ariana Grande. Photo / AP

Veteran singer Bette Midler has accused Ariana Grande of sexing up her act in a bid to sell records and branded the pop star's saucy image "ridiculous".

The Problem hitmaker, who previously insisted revealing clothes made her feel uncomfortable, has recently been seen in a variety of provocative costumes, including super-short skirts, and even poses in her underwear on the cover of her new album, My Everything.

However, Midler admits she is baffled by Grande's look and blames it on a misguided plan to sell records.

"It's terrible! It's always surprising to see someone like Ariana Grande with that silly high voice, a very wholesome voice, slithering around on a couch looking so ridiculous," Midler told Britain's Daily Telegraph newspaper.

"I mean, it's silly beyond belief and I don't know who is telling her to do it. I wish they'd stop. But it's not my business, I'm not her mother. Or her manager. Maybe they tell them that's what you've got to do. Sex sells. Sex has always sold."

Midler reveals her best advice to young stars: "Trust your talent. You don't have to make a whore out of yourself to get ahead. You really don't."

The Big Bang Theory star Mayim Bialik previously criticised Grande over her saucy album cover, writing in a post on her blog, "If she has a talent (is she a singer?), then why does she have to sell herself in lingerie?"

- WENN