Ariana Grande Look-Alike Paige Niemann Says She Felt 'Misled' by Star's DM

Ariana Grande's viral look-alike Paige Niemann says she felt "misled" by the direct message the popstar sent her amid her rise to online fame years ago.

Here's the sitch -- Paige's new docuseries "Turning the Paige" debuted this week on Prime Video ... and fans are buzzing about the empowering message Ariana sent a teenage Paige as she was gaining traction for the uncanny impersonation and look-alike videos she was posting.

The message, which TMZ verified came from the Grammy winner, said that Paige was beautiful "without trying to make her face look more similar to someone else's." The DM wrapped up, "Always do what makes you happy of course but if I didn't say that to you, I'd regret it."

Now, Paige tells TMZ ... she had mixed feelings about the entire interaction.

She tells us it was an unexpected moment she shared in her doc to show the love and kindness Ariana sent her ... though she felt "led on" due to the social media narratives forming around the same time the DM found its way into her inbox.

ICYMI -- critics tore Paige apart for allegedly building her brand off of Ariana, while rumors swirled that Ariana herself was "liking" shady messages about Paige. In one since-deleted tweet, Ariana reportedly called the ordeal "bizarre."

But, Paige maintains she never felt as if she was doing anything wrong, since Ariana herself never said her look-alike videos made her uncomfortable, and instead told her to do what makes her happy.

Fast forward a few years later, Paige is now documenting her journey to "Break Free" from the Ariana lookalike narrative, telling TMZ she plans to push forward with a career in acting and modeling.

It's all in the clip -- Paige says she's much more than "the girl who looks like someone" and is ready to share that with the world. First step? Her documentary.