Grande began her career at age 15 by appearing in the
Broadway musical 13 (2008). She rose to prominence for her performance as
Cat Valentine in the
Nickelodeon television series Victorious (2010–2013) and its spin-off series Sam & Cat (2013–2014). She signed with
Republic Records in 2011. Grande's debut studio album, Yours Truly (2013), incorporated
retro-
pop and
R&B elements and yielded the successful single "
The Way". My Everything (2014), her second album, experimented with
EDM and contained the internationally successful singles "
Problem", "
Break Free", and the
RIAA diamond-certified "
Bang Bang". Grande further explored pop and R&B with her third album Dangerous Woman (2016), which solidified her critical and commercial success.
Ariana Grande-Butera was born on June 26, 1993, in
Boca Raton, Florida.[2][3] She is the daughter of Joan Grande, the
Brooklyn-born CEO of Hose-McCann Communications, a manufacturer of marine communications equipment owned by the Grande family since 1964,[4] and Edward Butera, a graphic design firm owner in Boca Raton.[5][6] Grande is of Italian[7] descent and has described herself as an Italian American with
Sicilian and
Abruzzese roots.[8] She has an older half-brother,
Frankie Grande, who is an entertainer and producer.[9] Her family moved from New York to Florida before her birth, and her parents separated when she was eight or nine years old.[6] Grande has a close relationship with her maternal grandmother, Marjorie Grande.[10] At age 8, she sang "
The Star-Spangled Banner" at the
Florida Panthers' home game against the
Chicago Blackhawks on January 16, 2002.[11]
As a young child, Grande performed with the
Fort Lauderdale Children's Theater,[12] playing her first role as the title character in the musical Annie. She also performed in their productions of The Wizard of Oz and Beauty and the Beast.[7][13] At age eight, she performed at a karaoke lounge on a cruise ship and with various orchestras such as South Florida's Philharmonic, Florida Sunshine Pops and Symphonic Orchestras.[14] During this time, she attended the
Pine Crest School and later
North Broward Preparatory.[15]
When she first arrived in
Los Angeles, California to meet with her managers, she expressed a desire to record an
R&B album: "I was like, 'I want to make an R&B album,' They were like 'Um, that's a helluva goal! Who is going to buy a 14-year-old's R&B album?!'"[6] In 2008, Grande was cast as cheerleader Charlotte in the Broadway musical 13.[16][17]
Grande was cast in the
Nickelodeon television show Victorious along with 13 co-star
Elizabeth Gillies in 2009.[18] In the sitcom, set at a
performing arts high school, she played the "adorably dimwitted"
Cat Valentine.[7][18] She had to dye her hair red every other week for the role, which severely damaged it.[19] The show premiered in March 2010 to the second-largest audience for a live-action series in Nickelodeon, with 5.7 million viewers.[20][21] The role helped propel Grande to
teen idol status, but she was more interested in a music career, saying that acting is "fun, but music has always been first and foremost with me."[22]
After the first season of Victorious wrapped, Grande wanted to focus on her music career and began working on her debut album in August 2010.[23] The second season premiered in April 2011 to 6.2 million viewers, becoming the show's highest-rated episode.[24] In May 2011, Grande appeared in
Greyson Chance's video for the song "Unfriend You" from his album Hold On 'til the Night (2011), portraying his ex-girlfriend. She made her first musical appearance on the track "Give It Up" from the
Victorious soundtrack in August 2011. While filming Victorious, Grande made several recordings of herself singing covers of songs by
Adele,
Whitney Houston and
Mariah Carey, and uploaded them to
YouTube.[25] A friend of
Monte Lipman, chief executive officer (CEO) of
Republic Records, came across one of the videos. Impressed by her vocals, he sent the links to Lipman, who signed her to a recording contract.[6] Grande voiced the title role in the English dub of the
Spanish-language animated film Snowflake, the White Gorilla in November 2011.[26][27] From 2011 to 2013, she was cast in the role of fairy Princess Diaspro in the
Nickelodeon revival of Winx Club.[28]
In December 2011, Grande released her first single, "
Put Your Hearts Up", which was recorded for a potential teen-oriented pop album that was never issued.[29] She later disowned the track for its
bubblegum pop sound, saying she had no interest in recording music of that genre.[29] The song was later certified Gold by the
Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA).[30] On a second soundtrack, Victorious 2.0, released on June 5, 2012, as an
extended play, she supplied vocals as part of the show's cast for the song "5 Fingaz to the Face".[31] The third and final soundtrack, Victorious 3.0, was released on November 6, 2012, which featured a duet by Grande and
Victoria Justice titled "L.A. Boyz", with an accompanying music video being released shortly after.[32] In December 2012, Grande collaborated on the single version of "
Popular Song", a duet with British singer and songwriter
Mika.[33]
Grande released her debut album, Yours Truly, on August 30, 2013.[39] A pop and
R&B record influenced by 1950s
doo-wop, Yours Truly debuted at number one on the US
Billboard 200 albums chart, with 138,000 copies sold in its first week.[40][41][42]Yours Truly also debuted in the top ten in several other countries, including Australia,[43] the UK,[44] Ireland,[45] and the Netherlands.[46] Its lead single, "
The Way", featuring
Pittsburgh rapper
Mac Miller, debuted at number ten on the US
Billboard Hot 100,[47] eventually peaking at number nine for two weeks.[48] Grande was later sued by Minder Music for copying the line "What we gotta do right here is go back, back in time" from the 1972 song "
Troglodyte (Cave Man)" by
The Jimmy Castor Bunch.[49] The album's second single, "
Baby I", was released in July.[50] Its third single, "
Right There", featuring
Detroit rapper
Big Sean, was released in August 2013.[51] They respectively peaked at number 21 and 84 on the Billboard Hot 100.[52]
Grande released her second studio album My Everything on August 25, 2014, and debuted atop the Billboard 200.[61] Its lead single, "
Problem" debuted at number three (eventually climbing to number two) on the Billboard Hot 100.[62] The album's second single, "
Break Free", featuring German musician and producer
Zedd,[63] peaked at number four in the United States.[64] She performed the song as the opening of the
2014 MTV Video Music Awards, and won
Best Pop Video for "Problem".[65] Grande and
Nicki Minaj provided guest vocals on "
Bang Bang", the lead single from
Jessie J's album Sweet Talker,[66] which peaked at number one in the UK and reached number three in the US.[64] The song was added to the deluxe version of My Everything, serving as the third single from the album.[67] It was certified diamond by the RIAA in May 2024, for selling over 10 million units in the US; it marked the first all-female collaboration to achieve the certification.[68] With the singles "Problem", "Break Free", and "Bang Bang", Grande joined
Adele as the only female artist with three top ten singles simultaneously on the Billboard Hot 100 as a lead artist.[64]
Grande was the musical performer on Saturday Night Live, with
Chris Pratt as the host on September 27, 2014.[69] That same month, the fourth single from My Everything, "
Love Me Harder", featuring Canadian recording artist
the Weeknd, was released and peaked at number seven in the United States.[70] The song became her fourth top-ten single of 2014, the most by any artist that year.[71] In November 2014, Grande was featured in
Major Lazer's song "
All My Love" from the
soundtrack album for the film The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 1 (2014).[72] The same month, Grande released a Christmas song titled "
Santa Tell Me" as a single from the
reissue of her first Christmas EP, Christmas Kisses (2014).[73] The following month, she appeared on Nicki Minaj's third album The Pinkprint, with the song "
Get on Your Knees". She later released the fifth and the final single from My Everything, "
One Last Time", which peaked at number 13 in the US.[74]
In February 2015, Grande embarked on her first worldwide concert tour,
The Honeymoon Tour, to further promote My Everything, with shows in North America, Europe, Asia and South America.[75] Grande was featured on
Cashmere Cat's song
"Adore", which was released in March 2015.[76] In the spring, she signed an exclusive publishing contract with the
Universal Music Publishing Group, covering her entire music catalog.[77] Grande also filmed an episode for the
Fox Broadcasting Company reality TV series Knock Knock Live (2015),[78] but the show was canceled before her episode aired.[79] She also guest-starred on several episodes of the Fox
comedy-horror television series Scream Queens as
Sonya Herfmann/Chanel #2 from September to November 2015.[80] She recorded the duet "
E Più Ti Penso" with Italian recording artist
Andrea Bocelli, which was released in October 2015 as the lead single from Bocelli's album Cinema (2015),[81] and covered the song "Zero to Hero", originally from the
animated filmHercules (1997), for the compilation album We Love Disney (2015).[82] Grande also released her second Christmas EP, Christmas & Chill in December 2015.[83]
Grande began recording songs for her third studio album, Dangerous Woman, originally titled Moonlight, in 2015.[84] In October of that year, she released the single "
Focus", initially intended as the lead single from the album; the song debuted at number seven on the Billboard Hot 100.[85] The next month American singer
Who Is Fancy released the single "
Boys Like You", which features Ariana Grande and
Meghan Trainor.[86] She was featured in the remix version of "
Over and Over Again", a song by English singer
Nathan Sykes from his solo debut studio album Unfinished Business, which was released in January 2016.[87] In March 2016, Grande released "
Dangerous Woman" as the lead single from the retitled album of the same name.[88][89] The single debuted at number ten on the Billboard Hot 100, making her the first artist to have the lead single from each of their first three albums debut in the top ten.[90] The same month, Grande appeared as host and musical guest of Saturday Night Live, where she performed "Dangerous Woman" and debuted the promotional single "
Be Alright",[91] which charted at number 43 on the Billboard Hot 100.[92] Grande garnered positive reviews for her appearance on the show, including praise for her impressions of various singers,[93][94] some of which she had done on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon.[95]
Grande released Dangerous Woman on May 20, 2016, which debuted at number two on the Billboard 200.[96] It also debuted at number two in Japan,[97] and at number one in several other markets, including Australia, the Netherlands, Ireland, Italy, New Zealand and the UK.[98][99] Mark Savage, writing for BBC News, called the album "a mature, confident record".[7] In August, Grande released a third single from the album, "
Side to Side", featuring rapper
Nicki Minaj, her eighth top ten entry on the Hot 100, which peaked at number four on that chart.[100]Dangerous Woman was nominated for
Grammy Award for Best Pop Vocal Album and the title track for
Best Pop Solo Performance.[101]
Grande began working on songs for her fourth studio album, Sweetener with
Pharrell Williams in 2016.[113] Grande released "
No Tears Left to Cry" as the lead single from Sweetener in April 2018,[114] with the song debuting at number three on the Billboard Hot 100, making Grande the only artist to have debuted the lead single of her first four albums in the top ten of the Hot 100.[115][116] In June 2018, she was featured in "
Bed", the second single from
Nicki Minaj's fourth studio album Queen.[117] The same month, she was featured on
Troye Sivan's single "
Dance to This" from his sophomore album
Bloom. The second single, "
God Is a Woman",[118][119] peaked at number 8 on the Hot 100 and became Grande's tenth top ten single in the US.[120] Released in August 2018,[121]Sweetener debuted at number one on the Billboard 200[122] and received acclaim from critics.[123] She simultaneously charted nine songs from the album on the Hot 100, along with a collaboration, making her the fourth female artist to reach the ten-song mark.[124] Grande gave four concerts to promote the album, billed as
The Sweetener Sessions, in New York City, Chicago, Los Angeles, and London between August 20 and September 4, 2018.[125] In October 2018, Grande participated in the NBC broadcast, A Very Wicked Halloween, singing "
The Wizard and I" from the musical Wicked.[126] The following month, the BBC aired a one-hour special, Ariana Grande at the BBC, featuring interviews and performances.[127][128]
In November 2018, Grande released the single "
Thank U, Next" and announced her
fifth studio album of the same name.[129][130] The song debuted at number one on the Billboard Hot 100, becoming Grande's first chart-topping single in the United States, spending seven non-consecutive weeks atop.[131][132] Since then, it has been certified eight-times platinum in the United States;[133] the song's music video broke records for most-watched music video on YouTube within 24 hours of release[134] and fastest Vevo video to reach 100 million views on YouTube, both of which were later surpassed by other artists.[135] On
Spotify, it became the fastest song to reach 100 million streams (11 days) and most-streamed song by a female artist in a 24-hour period, with 9.6 million streams, before being surpassed by her own song "
7 Rings" (nearly 15 million streams).[136] Later the same month, Grande released, in collaboration with
YouTube, a four-part docuseries titled Ariana Grande: Dangerous Woman Diaries. It shows behind the scenes and concert footage from Grande's
Dangerous Woman Tour, including moments from the
One Love Manchester concert, and follows her professional life during the tour and the making of Sweetener. The series debuted on November 29, 2018.[137] By the end of the year, she became the most-streamed female artist on Spotify,[138] and was named
Billboard's Woman of the Year. In January 2019, it was announced that Grande would be headlining the
Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival,[139] where she became the youngest and only the fourth female artist ever to headline the festival.[140] Grande brought a number of guest artists to perform with her, including
NSYNC,
P. Diddy,
Nicki Minaj, and
Justin Bieber. Her set received critical acclaim.[141][142]
Grande's second single from Thank U, Next, "
7 Rings", was released on January 18, 2019, and debuted at number one on the Billboard Hot 100 for the week of February 2, becoming her second single in a row (and overall) to top the charts.[143] It made Grande the third female artist with multiple number-one debuts after Mariah Carey (3) and
Britney Spears (2) and fifth artist overall after
Justin Bieber and
Drake.[144] Spending eight non-consecutive weeks at number one, it became Grande's most successful song on the chart[145] and has since been certified nine-times platinum in the US.[146] "7 Rings" became the fifth-best-selling song of 2019 globally, and one of the
best-selling digital singles worldwide.[147]Thank U, Next was released on February 8, 2019, and debuted at number one on the
Billboard 200 while receiving acclaim from critics.[148] The album garnered Grande's largest sales week of all time in the United States (360,000 album-equivalent units).[149] Her fourth number-one album, and second in less than six months, it marked the shortest gap between number-one albums for a woman at the time. Thank U, Next broke records for the largest streaming week for a pop album and for a female album in the US, with 307 million on-demand streams.[149] It was the only non-hip hop title among the twenty largest US album streaming weeks at the time, at number eight.[149] The album also achieved the largest streaming week by a female artist in Canada and the United Kingdom.[150][151] In June 2020, Thank U, Next was certified double platinum by the RIAA.[152]
Grande became the first solo artist to occupy the top three spots on the Billboard Hot 100 with "7 Rings" at number one, her third single "
Break Up with Your Girlfriend, I'm Bored" debuting at number two, and her lead single "Thank U, Next" rose to number three, and the overall second artist to do so since
the Beatles did in 1964 when they occupied the top five spots.[153] In the United Kingdom, Grande became the second female solo artist to simultaneously hold the number one and two spots and the first musical artist to replace herself at number one, twice consecutively.[154] With eleven Thank U, Next tracks appearing within the top 40 region on the Hot 100, Grande broke the record for the most simultaneous top 40 entries by a female artist.[155] In February 2019, it was reported Grande wouldn't attend the
Grammy Awards after she had a disagreement with producers over a potential performance at the ceremony.[156] Grande ended up earning her first Grammy, for
Best Pop Vocal Album, for Sweetener.[157] The same month, Grande won a
Brit Award for
International Female Solo Artist.[158] She also embarked on her third headlining tour, the
Sweetener World Tour, to promote both Sweetener and Thank U, Next, which began on March 18,[159] and concluded on December 22, 2019.[160] Spanning 97 shows through North America and Europe, it grossed US$ 146.6 million with over 1.3 million tickets sold, marking Grande's highest-grossing and biggest tour to date.[161] A live album of the tour's setlist, titled K Bye for Now (SWT Live), was released on December 23.[162] Grande was nominated for 9 awards at the
2019 Billboard Music Awards, including
Top Artist. She would win two awards for
Billboard Chart Achievement and
Top Female Artist on May 1, 2019.[163] Grande performed at the event via a pre-recorded performance from her Sweetener World Tour.[164]
Grande co-executive produced
the soundtrack to the film Charlie's Angels, which was released on November 1, 2019; she co-wrote and performed various songs for the record.[165] The soundtrack was met with lukewarm reception.[166][167] A collaboration with
Miley Cyrus and
Lana Del Rey, titled "
Don't Call Me Angel", was released as the lead single on September 13.[168]Pitchfork wrote that the pop stars "meet at a lower creative common denominator than they've enjoyed lately".[169] The track was nominated for
Best Original Song at the
24th Satellite Awards.[170] In August 2019, she released the single "
Boyfriend" with pop duo
Social House;[171] it debuted at number eight on the Hot 100,[172] and became the first song by a woman to top the
Rolling Stone Top 100 chart.[173] Grande co-wrote singer
Normani's debut solo single "
Motivation", which was released on August 16, 2019.[174] Grande won three awards at the
2019 MTV Video Music Awards, including the Artist of the Year award. She was nominated for 12 awards in total, including Video of the Year for "Thank U, Next".[175] Grande was featured on the remix of American singer and rapper
Lizzo's song "
Good as Hell", which was released on October 25, 2019.[176] By the end of the year, Billboard named Grande the most accomplished female artist to debut in the 2010s, while NME named her one of the defining music artists of the decade. She also became the most-streamed female artist of the decade on music streaming service Spotify.[177][178][179] Also, Forbes ranked her amongst the
highest-paid celebrities in 2019, placing at number 62 on the list,[180] while Billboard ranked her as 2019's highest-paid solo musician.[181] According to the
International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (IFPI), Thank U, Next was the eighth-best-selling album of 2019 globally, having sold over one million copies worldwide.[182] It also ranked as the second-best-performing album on the Billboard 200 year-end chart of 2019.[183]
In January 2020, Grande received multiple nominations at the 2020
iHeartRadio Music Awards, including
Female Artist of the Year.[184] At the
62nd Annual Grammy Awards, Grande performed a medley of "
Imagine", "
My Favorite Things", "7 Rings", and "Thank U, Next".[185] Her performance was ranked by various publications as one of the best of the ceremony.[186] Grande received the third-most nominations (5), including her first nods for
Album of the Year (Thank U, Next) and
Record of the Year ("7 Rings").[187] She was named by Billboard and The Hollywood Reporter as one of the biggest snubs of the ceremony.[188][189] Grande and Justin Bieber released a collaboration song titled "
Stuck with U" on May 8, 2020; net proceeds from the sales of the song were donated to the First Responders Children's Foundation in light of the
COVID-19 pandemic.[190] The song debuted at number one on the Billboard Hot 100, becoming Grande's third chart-topping single. Alongside Bieber, both artists tied Mariah Carey and
Drake for the most songs to debut at number one on the Hot 100; Grande became the first artist to have her first three number ones debut at the top, following "Thank U, Next" and "7 Rings".[191] Grande also released a collaboration with
Lady Gaga, "
Rain on Me", as the second single from Gaga's sixth studio album Chromatica.[192] The song also debuted at number one on the Billboard Hot 100, becoming Grande's fourth number-one single and helping her break the record for the most number-one debuts on that chart.[193] The song won the
Best Pop Duo/Group Performance category at the
63rd Annual Grammy Awards.[194] In 2020, Grande became the highest-earning woman in music on Forbes's 2020
Celebrity 100 list, placing 17th overall with $72 million.[195] At the
2020 MTV Video Music Awards, she was nominated for nine awards for both "Stuck with U" (with Bieber) and "Rain on Me" (with Gaga). For the latter, Grande received her third consecutive nomination for
Video of the Year. She won four awards, including
Song of the Year for "Rain on Me".[196][197]
Grande's sixth studio album, Positions, was released on October 30, 2020.[198] It debuted at number one on the
Billboard 200 with first-week sales of 174,000 units, becoming Grande's fifth number-one album.[199] The
eponymous lead single was released on October 23.[200] It debuted atop the BillboardHot 100, becoming Grande's fifth chart-topping single and breaking numerous records. Grande became the first artist to have five number-one debuts on the Hot 100 and the first to have their first five number-ones debut at the top. "Positions" became her third number-one single in 2020 following "Stuck with U" and "Rain on Me", making Grande the first artist since Drake to have three number-one singles in a single calendar year and the first female artist to do so since
Rihanna and Katy Perry in 2010.[201] It topped the
Pop Airplay chart for seven weeks, surpassing "7 Rings" (six weeks) as Grande's longest-running number-one on the chart.[202] Alongside the release of Positions, the song from the album "
34+35" served as the second single off the album. The song debuted at number 8, becoming Grande's 18th top-ten single.[203] Grande released a "34+35" remix featuring American rappers
Doja Cat and
Megan Thee Stallion on January 15, 2021. The remix helped the song reach a new peak at number two, the highest-charting song credited to three or more female soloists on the Hot 100 since
Christina Aguilera,
Mýa,
Pink and
Lil' Kim's "Lady Marmalade" in 2001.[204] The remix was one of five additional tracks included on the deluxe edition of Positions, released on February 19, 2021. On the Pop Airplay chart issue dated February 13, "34+35" replaced Grande's own "Positions" at number one, making her the first artist to replace herself at number one as the only act credited on both tracks, and the fifth artist ever to replace themselves on the chart.[202] On the following chart issue, Grande occupied the top two of the chart with "34+35" and "Positions", becoming the first artist to simultaneously occupy the top two with two solo tracks, and just the sixth artist in chart history to simultaneously occupy the entire top two.[202][205] It remained at number one for three consecutive weeks.[206] It also reached number one on the
Rhythmic airplay chart, marking Grande's third number-one.[207] In March, the song "
POV" was sent to radio as the album's third single. The song reached number 27 on the Hot 100 and would reach the top ten on mainstream radio, making Grande the first artist to have three concurrent songs in the top ten on Pop Airplay.[208] Grande was named the most-played artist on
iHeartRadio's stations in 2021, reaching 2.6 billion in audience.[209]Positions ranked at number eight on the 2021 year-end Billboard 200 chart.[210]
On January 17, 2024, Grande announced her seventh studio album, titled Eternal Sunshine.[239] Its lead single, "
Yes, And?", was released on January 12, 2024, and debuted atop the Billboard Hot 100.[240][241] The song topped the
Billboard Global 200 and Global Excl. US charts for two weeks.[242] On February 16, a remix of "Yes, And?" featuring
Mariah Carey.[243] The album was released on March 8, along with the second single off the record, "
We Can't Be Friends (Wait for Your Love)".[244] Both the album and its second single debuted atop the Billboard 200 and the Hot 100 respectively,[245] achieving Grande's third-largest sales week (227,000 units) and making her the woman with the
most Hot 100 number-one debuts (7).[246][247] Grande became the first woman to have two albums produce multiple number-one single debuts in the US, after Thank U, Next.[245] It also marked her first instance of reaching the top of both the BillboardHot 100 Songwriters and Hot 100 Producers charts.[248] Topping the
Pop Airplay chart for two weeks,[249] "We Can't Be Friends (Wait for Your Love)" marked Grande's tenth number-one.[250]
On May 6, 2024, Grande performed at the
Met Gala, and was joined on stage by her Wicked co-star Erivo to close out her performance.[251] "
The Boy Is Mine" was released as the third Eternal Sunshine single in June;[252] it reached the top 20 on the Hot 100, and a remix featuring
Brandy and
Monica was released later that month.[253][254] On August 22, 2024, Grande released a reissue of her second studio album, My Everything, for the tenth anniversary of the record.[255] Two extended editions of Eternal Sunshine containing the pre-released single remixes, guest vocals from
Troye Sivan, and live versions of several tracks, were
surprise released in March and October.[256][257] Grande appeared twice on Saturday Night Live in 2024: as the musical guest and a sketch performer on
March 9, 2024 to promote Eternal Sunshine, and as the host on
October 12, 2024 to promote Wicked.[258][259] She featured on the remix to "Sympathy Is a Knife" on
Charli XCX's remix album Brat and It's Completely Different but Also Still Brat, released on October 11.[260]
Artistry
Musical style
Grande's music is generally
pop and
R&B with elements of
EDM,
hip hop,[261][262] and
trap,[263] the latter first appearing prominently on her Christmas & Chill extended play. While consistently maintaining pop and R&B tones, she has increasingly incorporated trap into her music as her career has progressed,[264] thanks to her work with
record producer Tommy Brown.[265] She has collaborated with Brown on every album thus far and stated that "one of the things I love most about working with Tommy is that none of the beats he plays me ever sound the same."[266] Grande learned how to
sound engineer and produce her own vocals because she "love[s] being hands on" with every project, revealing that rapper
Mac Miller first taught her how to use the
digital audio workstationPro Tools.[267] Collaborator
Justin Tranter remarked that he felt inspired seeing how involved Grande is in creating her music "from the writing to the vision to the storytelling and to even engineering and comping her own vocals."[268] She has co-written songs addressing a wide variety of themes, such as love, sex, wealth, breakups, independence, empowerment, self-love and moving on from the past.[269]
Grande's debut album Yours Truly was complimented for recreating the R&B "vibe and feel of the 90s" with the help of songwriter and producer
Babyface.[270] Her follow-up record, My Everything, explored EDM and
electropop genres.[271] Grande expanded the pop and R&B sound on her third album, Dangerous Woman, which was praised by the Los Angeles Times for integrating elements of different styles, such as
reggae-pop ("Side to Side"), dance-pop ("Be Alright"), and
guitar-trap fusion ("Sometimes").[272] Trap-pop was more heavily featured on her fourth and fifth studio albums, Sweetener and Thank U, Next.[264] Elias Leight of Rolling Stone opined that Grande "set her sights on conquering trap, savage basslines and jittery swarms of drum programming" and "embrace[d] the sound of hard-bitten Southern hip-hop" on Sweetener, exploring
funk music with themes of love and prosperity.[273][274] Craig Jenkins of Vulture noted that she embraced trap and hip hop with undertones of R&B on Thank U, Next,[275] with lyrics about breakups, empowerment, and self-love.[274] Her sixth album, Positions, further emphasized the R&B and trap-pop sound of its two predecessors, with lyrics discussing sex and romance.[276][277]
Grande grew up listening mainly to
urban pop and
1990s music.[278] She credited
Gloria Estefan with inspiring her to pursue a music career after Estefan saw and complimented Grande's performance on a cruise ship when she was eight years old.[279]Mariah Carey and
Whitney Houston are her primary vocal influences: "I love Mariah Carey. She is literally my favorite human being on the planet. And of course Whitney [Houston] as well. As far as vocal influences go, Whitney and Mariah pretty much cover it."[280] Grande was also influenced vocally by
Destiny's Child,
Celine Dion,
Christina Aguilera and
Madonna.[281][282] She reflected on her childhood by posting videos of herself singing songs from Dion's 1997 album Let's Talk About Love on her social media.[283] Grande credits Madonna with "pav[ing] the way for me and also every other female artist" and admitted to being "obsessed with
her entire discography".[284][285]
Musically, Grande admires
India Arie because her "music makes me feel like everything is going to be okay", loves
Brandy's songs because "her
riffs are incredibly on point," and praised
Imogen Heap's "intricate" song structure.[274] Grande also named
Judy Garland as a childhood influence, admiring her ability to tell "a story when she sings".[274] Music producer and collaborator
Savan Kotecha stated that he and Grande were influenced by
Lauryn Hill when creating her fourth album
Sweetener and its lead single "
No Tears Left to Cry".[286] Kotecha told
Variety, "we were listening to Lauryn Hill about chord changes and why we stick to four chords all the time".[287]
Grande expressed admiration for rappers' unconventional music release strategy. She told Billboard, "My dream has always been to be—obviously not a rapper, but, like, to put out music in the way that a rapper does. I feel like there are certain standards that pop women are held to that men aren't ... It's just like, 'Bruh, I just want to ... drop [music] the way these boys do."[288] It inspired her to release "Thank U, Next" without any prior announcement, which The Ringer called "more of a
Drake move than an Ariana Grande move."[289]
Voice
Grande has been described as a
soprano,[290][291][292] possessing a four-octave
vocal range[7][293] and a
whistle register.[294] With the release of Yours Truly, critics compared Grande's wide vocal range and music to those of Mariah Carey.[295][296] Julianne Escobedo Shepherd of Billboard wrote that both Carey and Grande have "the talent to let their vocals do the talking ... that's not where the similarities end. ... Grande is subverting it with cute, comfortable, and on-trend dresses with a feminine slant."[297]
Mark Savage of BBC News named Grande "one of pop's most intriguing and gifted singers" and complimented her "unrivalled vocal control".[7] In The New York Times,
Jon Pareles noted that Grande's voice "can be silky, breathy or cutting, swooping through long melismas or jabbing out short R&B phrases; it's always supple and airborne, never forced."[298] Composer and playwright
Jason Robert Brown wrote in a 2016 Time magazine article, "[N]o matter how much you are underestimated ... you are going to open your mouth and that unbelievable sound is going to come out. That [...] instrument [...] allows you to shut down every objection and every obstacle."[299]
Public image
Grande cited
Audrey Hepburn as a major style influence in her early career; however, she later found emulating Hepburn's style "a little boring".[300] She also drew inspiration from actresses of the 1950s and 1960s, such as
Ann-Margret,
Nancy Sinatra, and
Marilyn Monroe.[300] Grande's modest look early in her career was described as "age appropriate" in comparison to contemporary artists who grew up in the public eye.[297] Jim Farber of New York's Daily News wrote in 2014 that Grande received less attention "for how little she wears or how graphically she moves than for how she sings."[301] That year, she abandoned her earlier style in favor of short skirts and
crop tops with
knee-high boots in live performances and red carpet events.[302] She also began regularly wearing cat and bunny ears and, subsequently, oversized jackets and hoodies.[303][304] Grande's style is often imitated by social media influencers and celebrities.[305][306] After years of dyeing her hair red for her role as Cat Valentine on Nickelodeon, Grande wore extensions as her hair recovered from damage.[307][308] Anne T. Donahue of
MTV News noted that her "iconic" high ponytail has received more attention than her fashion choices.[309]
Although Grande drew criticism for alleged impolite interactions with reporters and fans in 2014,[310] she dismissed the reports as "weird, inaccurate depictions".[311]Rolling Stone wrote: "Some may cry 'diva', but it's also Grande just taking a stand to not allow others to control her image."[312] In July 2015, Grande sparked controversy after being seen on surveillance video in a doughnut shop licking doughnuts that were on display and saying "I hate Americans. I hate America. This is disgusting", referring to a tray of doughnuts.[313] She subsequently apologized, saying that she is "EXTREMELY proud to be an American" and that her comments rather referred to
obesity in the United States.[314] She later released a video apology for "behaving poorly".[315] The incident was parodied by The Muppets.[316] Grande herself poked fun at the incident while hosting Saturday Night Live in 2016, saying, "A lot of kid stars end up doing drugs, or in jail, or pregnant, or get caught licking a doughnut they didn't pay for."[7][317] In 2020, she said that she stopped doing interviews for a while out of fear that her words would be misconstrued and that she would be labeled a "diva".[318]
In 2016 and 2019, Grande was named one of Time's
100 most influential people in the world.[299][345] In 2017, Celia Almeida of the Miami New Times wrote that of all the biggest pop stars of the past 20 years, Grande made the most convincing transition "from ingénue to an independent female artist".[346]Bloomberg named her the "first pop diva of the streaming generation" in 2020.[347]
Grande was also included in Pitchfork's list of "The 200 Most Important Artists of Pitchfork's First 25 Years" for "emerging with music that pushed her artistry further as it asserted a magical trifecta of hope, joy, and a powerhouse voice".[348] Her song "Thank U, Next" was in Rolling Stone's 2021 revision of their
500 Greatest Songs of All Time.[349] In 2023, the magazine included Grande among the 200 Greatest Singers of All Time.[350]The Hollywood Reporter named her as one of its "Platinum Power Players" in music of 2024.[351]
In May 2024,
Katy Perry claimed that Grande is "the best singer of our generation".[370]
Music records and awards
Grande has sold over 90 million records worldwide,[371] making her one of the
best-selling music artists of all time.[372][373][374] All of Grande's studio albums have been certified platinum or higher by the
Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) and have spent at least one year charting on the
Billboard 200 chart. Her highest-certified album by the RIAA is My Everything, at quadruple platinum,[375] whilst her longest-charting album, Thank U, Next, has spent 170 non-consecutive weeks on the chart.[376] Grande has over 131.5 million certified units, across albums, songs, and features (when physical, downloads, and streaming-equivalent sales are combined),[377] including 12 million albums and 95.5 million digital singles units as a lead artist in the United States, making her the 14th highest-certified artist and fifth highest-certified female artist on RIAA's
Top Artists (Digital Singles) ranking,[378] 21st overall, and sixth among women across all units.[379] In the US, Grande has moved 22.4 million album units, and garnered over 23.6 billion streams across lead artist credits, as of 2023, according to
Luminate.[380][381] Grande is also one of the highest-certified artists in the UK, with nearly 28 million units.[382]
Having amassed 98 billion streams globally as of 2021, Grande is one of the most-
streamed artists of all time and became the first female artist to surpass 90 billion streams.[383][384] She was the most-streamed female artist of the 2010s decade on
Spotify and
Apple Music, and was the first female artist to reach 3 billion total streams on the latter.[385][386] She became the most-streamed female artist of all time on Spotify in 2020, surpassing
Rihanna, and held the record for over two years.[387] As of 2024, she is the second-most-streamed woman and among the top ten most-streamed acts ever, with over 50 billion streams (over 45 billion streams across lead artist credits).[388] Her songs and albums are
some of the most-streamed of all time. Grande became the first woman with one and two billion streams with one album,[389] 3.5 billion streams on three separate albums,[390] and the first artist to have five albums with four billion streams.[391] She has seventeen songs that have surpassed over one billion streams on Spotify, making her the female artist with the most songs to have achieved the feat on Spotify.[392] In 2024, Grande became the first artist to have five albums with multiple songs over a billion streams on the streaming platform.[393] She is the
fifth-most-followed artist and third-most-followed female artist on Spotify, with over 100 million followers;[394] she is the fourth artist in the platform's history to surpass 100 million followers. Grande is the second-most-subscribed female soloist on YouTube, with over 54 million subscribers.[395]
Nine singles by Grande have topped the
Billboard Hot 100, her most recent being "
We Can't Be Friends (Wait for Your Love)".[246] Grande has a total of twenty-two top-ten songs on the chart, which includes sixteen top-ten debuts thus far, beginning with her first single "
The Way"; the lead single from each of her first seven studio albums have debuted in the top ten, making her the only artist to achieve this.[414] In 2020, she became the first act to have her first five number one singles, "
Thank U, Next", "
7 Rings", "
Stuck With U", "
Rain on Me", and "
Positions" debut at number one; that year, Grande also broke the record for the most number one debuts and became the first female artist topping
Global 200, Global 200 Excl. US and Hot 100 simultaneously.[193] Grande would also become the first artist to have three singles debut at number one on a single calendar year.[201] She later broke the record for most simultaneously charting songs on the top 40 of the Hot 100 for a female artist with the release of her fifth studio album, Thank U, Next, when eleven of the twelve tracks charted within the region (later surpassed by
Billie Eilish).[415] The three singles from Thank U, Next, "7 Rings", "
Break Up with Your Girlfriend, I'm Bored", and "Thank U, Next" charted at numbers one, two, and three respectively on the week of February 23, 2019, making Grande the first solo artist to occupy the top three spots of the Billboard Hot 100 and the first artist to do so since the Beatles in 1964.[153] With her album Thank U, Next, Grande set the record for the largest streaming week for a pop album and for a female artist at the time, with 307 million on-demand audio streams.[149] With "Die for You" with
the Weeknd reaching number one, Grande surpassed Paul McCartney as the artist with the most number-one duets in Hot 100 history, with four songs. As of October 2024, Grande has 85 entries on the Hot 100, and is the fourth female artist with the most Hot 100 entries.[416] Grande is also the female artist with the most number-one debuts on the Hot 100 (7), and is tied with
Taylor Swift.[417] On the BillboardPop Airplay chart, Grande has 10 number-ones and 22 top-ten songs.[418] She was also named the Billboard Year-End Top Female Artist for 2017 and 2019 and was named the sixth top female artist (twelfth overall) on the magazine's Decade-End Top Artists Chart for the 2010s.[419][420][421] The magazine also ranked her 78th on the Greatest of All Time Hot 100 Artists Charts, respectively.[422][423]
As of 2023, Grande has broken thirty-five
Guinness World Records.[424][425] These records included the most songs to debut at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100, most followers on Spotify (female), most monthly listeners on Spotify (female), most streamed act on Spotify (female), most streamed track in one week by a female artist on the Billboard charts, fastest hat-trick of UK No. 1 singles by a female artist, first female artist to replace herself at No. 1 on UK singles chart, first solo artist to replace themselves at No. 1 on UK singles chart for two consecutive weeks, most subscribers for a musician on YouTube (female), most streamed album by a female artist in one week (UK), among others. Eleven records were achieved from the success of her album Thank U, Next which was featured in the 2020 edition.
Philanthropy and activism
At age ten, Grande co-founded the South Florida youth singing group Kids Who Care, which performed at charitable fund-raisers and raised over $500,000 in 2007 alone.[426] In 2009, as a member of the charitable organization Broadway in South Africa, she and her brother Frankie performed and taught music and dance to children in
Gugulethu, South Africa.[427][428]
She was featured with
Bridgit Mendler and
Kat Graham in Seventeen magazine in a 2013 public campaign to end
online bullying called "Delete Digital Drama".[429] After watching the film Blackfish that year, she urged fans to stop supporting
SeaWorld.[5] In September 2014, Grande participated at the charitable
Stand Up to Cancer television program, performing her song "My Everything" in memory of her grandfather, who had died of cancer that July.[430] Grande has adopted several rescue dogs as pets and has promoted pet adoption at her concerts.[431] In 2016, she launched a line of lip shades, "Ariana Grande's MAC Viva Glam", with MAC Cosmetics, the profits of which benefited people affected by HIV and AIDS.[432][433]
In 2015, Grande and
Miley Cyrus performed a cover of
Crowded House's "
Don't Dream It's Over" as part of Cyrus' "
Backyard Sessions" to benefit her
Happy Hippie Foundation, which helps homeless and LGBT youths.[434] Later that year, Grande headlined the Dance On the Pier event, part of the
LGBT Pride Week in New York City.[435] As a feminist, Grande wrote a well-received, "empowering" essay on Twitter decrying the double standard and misogyny in the focus of the press on female musicians' relationships and sex lives instead of "their value as an individual".[436][437] She noted that she has "more to talk about" concerning her music and accomplishments rather than her romantic relationships.[438][439] That year, Grande joined
Madonna to raise funds for orphaned children in
Malawi;[440] she and
Victoria Monét recorded "Better Days" in support of the
Black Lives Matter movement.[441] To aid the victims of the
Manchester Arena bombing in 2017, Grande organized the
One Love Manchester concert and re-released "One Last Time" and her live performance of "
Over the Rainbow" at the event as charity singles.[442][443] The total amount raised was reportedly $23 million (more than £17 million),[307][106] and she received praise for her "grace and strength" in leading the benefit concert.[444][442] Madeline Roth of MTV wrote that the performance "bolstered courage among an audience that desperately needed it. ... Returning to the stage was a true act of bravery and resilience".[445] In 2017, New York magazine's Vulture section ranked the event as the No. 1 concert of the year,[446] and Billboard's Mitchell Harrison called Grande a "gay icon" for her LGBT-friendly lyrics and performances and "support for the LGBTQ community".[447]
In September 2017, Grande performed in A Concert for Charlottesville which benefitted the victims of the
August 2017 white nationalist rally in
Charlottesville, Virginia.[448] In March 2018, she participated in
March for Our Lives to support gun control reform.[449] Grande donated the proceeds from the first show in Atlanta on her
Sweetener World Tour to Planned Parenthood in a response to the passage of a number of anti-abortion laws in several states including
Georgia.[450][451] During the
COVID-19 pandemic, Grande donated between $500 and $1,000 each to a number of fans as financial support.[452] Grande also supported a
COVID-19 fund named Project 100, which aimed to provide $1,000 digital payments to 100,000 families who have been greatly impacted by the pandemic.[453] In May 2020, Grande announced that all net proceeds from her collaboration with singer
Justin Bieber, "Stuck With U", would be donated to the First Responders Children's Foundation to fund grants and scholarships for children of frontline workers who are working during the
global pandemic.[190] That month, Grande joined a Los Angeles protest against the
murder of George Floyd, demanding justice and asking fans to sign petitions condemning the act of police brutality. She highlighted white privilege and called for more activism outside social media.[454][455] The following month, she praised a Black-owned coffee shop on Instagram, and encouraged her LA-based followers to support the business. In recent years, Grande surprised kids, who spend the holiday at children's hospitals in L.A. and the UK, with gifts from wish lists at the
UCLA Mattel Children's Hospital and the
Royal Manchester Children's Hospital, among others. Manchester Foundation Trust Charity revealed that Grande had gifted nearly 1,000 presents to patients across the hospital network's children's wards and newborn intensive care units in 2021.[456][457]
In June 2021, Grande and other celebrities signed an open letter to Congress requesting passage of the
Equality Act, highlighting that the Act would protect "marginalized communities".[458] In the same month, Grande partnered with the online portal
BetterHelp, and gave away $2 million worth of therapy to fans.[459][460] On
International Transgender Day of Visibility in 2022, she launched the Protect & Defend Trans Youth Fund to benefit
transgender youth, pledging to match every donation up until $1.5 million.[461] In May 2022, Grande was among 160 artists and influencers, who signed a
'Bans Off Our Bodies' full-page advertisement in The New York Times, in support of abortion rights in the US.[462] Grande was also one of 175 entertainers to sign an open letter to oppose books bans in US schools in 2023.[463] In June 2022, Grande endorsed
Karen Bass for 2022 Los Angeles mayoral election.[464]
In November 2015, she released a limited edition handbag in collaboration with
Coach.[469] In January 2016, she launched a makeup collection with
MAC Cosmetics, donating 100% of proceeds to the
MAC AIDS Fund.[470] In February 2016, Grande launched a fashion line with Lipsy London.[471] Later that year, she teamed up with
Brookstone, using the concept art of artist Wenqing Yan, to design cat ear headphones.[472] In 2017, Grande collaborated with
Square Enix to create a character based on herself for the
mobile gameFinal Fantasy Brave Exvius. Grande was a limited-time unlockable character as part of the
Dangerous Woman Tour event, which also included an orchestral remix of Grande's song "Touch It"; the character, Dangerous Ariana, is a magical support character who uses music-based attacks.[473][474] In September 2017, she became a brand ambassador for
Reebok.[475] In August 2018, she partnered with
American Express for
The Sweetener Sessions, a partnership which continued through the
Sweetener World Tour in 2019, alongside
T-Mobile. In March 2019, she partnered with
Starbucks for the launch of the Cloud Macchiato beverage.[476] In May 2019, Grande was announced as the face of
Givenchy's fall-winter campaign.[477] The campaign began in July and generated $25.13 million in
media impact value.[478] In July 2024, she became the brand ambassador of
Swarovski; Grande's first appearance as the face is scheduled for the house's holiday campaign in October 2024.[479]Beats,
Samsung,
Fiat, Reebok, and
Guess products have been
featured in Grande's music videos.[480] She has appeared in commercials for
Macy's, T-Mobile, and
Apple, as well as for her own fragrances.[481] Since 2019, Grande has been among the ten highest-paid individuals on Instagram. In 2023, Grande earns $1.6 million per sponsored Instagram post.[482]
Fragrances
Grande has released thirteen fragrances with Luxe Brands. She launched her debut fragrance, Ari by Ariana Grande, in 2015. In the wake of its success, she launched her third fragrance, Sweet Like Candy, in 2016.[483] Her fifth fragrance, Moonlight, was released in 2017, followed by Cloud (2018), Thank U, Next (2019), R.E.M. (2020), and God Is A Woman (2021), which was later expanded to a body care line.[484] She then released the duo fragrance collection Mod Vanilla and Mod Blush (2022).[485] The line also includes the limited editions Frankie (2016), Sweet Like Candy Limited Edition (2017), Thank U, Next 2.0, Cloud Intense (both 2021), and Cloud Pink (2023). The fragrances won the
FiFi Award multiple times, most recently with R.E.M. in 2021. In 2022, it was reported that Cloud was the best-selling fragrance at
Ulta, selling one bottle every eleven seconds.[486] Grande's fragrance line is the most-searched celebrity offering, with 4.4 million searches across Google and social media platforms per year.[487] Since its launch in 2015, the franchise has made $1 billion in retail sales globally.[488]
In November 2021, Grande launched her makeup line R.E.M. Beauty, which is distributed at Ulta Beauty as of March 2022.[489][490] The original line featured 12 core products for lips and eyes, and the range has since been expanded with additional skincare and makeup products.[491][492]Forbes reported in 2022 that R.E.M. Beauty was one of the brands boosting Ulta's driving gross margin due to strong consumer demand.[493] In May, the line won "Best New Brand" at the
Allure Best of Beauty Awards.[494] In February 2023, the brand was launched in 81
Sephora stores and 13 online sites, including across Europe.[495]
Personal life
Grande has said she struggled with
hypoglycemia, which she attributed to poor dietary habits.[496] She has been a
vegan since 2013.[497] Fans questioned in 2019 whether she was still a vegan after working with
Starbucks to create a special edition of one of her favorite drinks which was revealed to contain eggs. Her nutritionist, Harley Pasternak, told the magazine
Glamour that Grande is vegan but that he has got her to "feel OK about indulging and celebrating sometimes".[498]
Grande was raised
Roman Catholic, but left the church during the pontificate of
Benedict XVI (circa 2013),[501] opposing its
stance on homosexuality[5] and noting that her half-brother Frankie is gay.[502] Grande stated that she and Frankie later visited a
Kabbalah Centre and that they both "really had a connection with it."[502][503] Several of her songs, such as "Break Your Heart Right Back", are supportive of
LGBT rights.[504] She has also been labeled "an advocate for a
sex-positive attitude".[505]
Grande met actor
Graham Phillips in the cast of the
Broadway musical 13 in 2008 and dated him until 2011.[509][510] Grande was later involved in an
on-again, off-again relationship with Australian YouTuber
Jai Brooks from August 2012 to July 2013; the two resumed their relationship from May to August 2014.[511] She dated English singer
Nathan Sykes between August and December 2013, and then dated rapper
Big Sean from October 2014 to April 2015.[512]
After recording "
The Way" with rapper
Mac Miller in 2012, the two began dating in 2016.[513][514] Grande was featured on Miller's single "
My Favorite Part" from his album The Divine Feminine (2016);[515] she also provided an uncredited introduction to the album and was the inspiration behind its fifth track, "Cinderella".[516] By May 2018, their relationship had ended and Grande entered a whirlwind romance with comedian
Pete Davidson.[517] They got engaged in June, after a few weeks of dating, while a
song titled after and inspired by Davidson was featured on Grande's album Sweetener (2018).[518] That September, Miller
died from an accidental drug overdose; Grande expressed grief over his death on social media and called him her "dearest friend".[519] She and Davidson called off their engagement and ended their relationship the following month.[520]
Grande began dating real estate agent Dalton Gomez in January 2020.[521] Their relationship, while mostly private, was made public in May 2020, in the music video of her and
Justin Bieber's charity single "
Stuck with U".[522] Grande announced their engagement on December 20, 2020, after 11 months of dating.[523] On May 15, 2021, they married in a private ceremony at her home in Montecito, California.[524] Her wedding pictures became
the second-most-liked Instagram post and most-liked Instagram post featuring pictures of people at the time, with over 25 million likes.[525][526] The couple separated on February 20, 2023,[527] and simultaneously filed for divorce in September, citing "irreconcilable differences".[528][529] Grande and Gomez agreed on a
divorce settlement in October 2023, which was finalized in March 2024. Because the couple had a
prenuptial agreement, no children, and no significant legal disputes in their split, their divorce moved quickly and cleanly in the court system and only had to wait the required six months before a judge's order could take effect.[530][531] Under their settlement, Grande was ordered to make a one-time payment of $1.25 million to Gomez with no future
alimony, give him half of the proceeds of the sale of their Los Angeles home, and pay up to $25,000 towards his attorney's fees.[531]
^Grande pronounces her surname with the final syllable like "day"; she explained in an interview for
Beats 1 that the pronunciation with the final syllable like "dee" was used by her grandfather.[1]
^Mueller, Marissa G. (June 7, 2019).
"Ariana Grande Wore Her Hair Down Again, and Fans Still Can't Handle It". Allure.
Archived from the original on December 23, 2019. Retrieved December 23, 2019. Since people give me such a hard time about my hair I thought I'd take the time to explain the whole situation to everybody," she wrote on Facebook. "I had to bleach my hair and dye it red every other week for the first 4 years of playing Cat... as one would assume, that completely destroyed my hair.
^McDermott, Maeve; Ryan, Patrick (December 22, 2015).
"The 50 best songs of 2015". USA Today.
Archived from the original on December 9, 2019. Retrieved August 24, 2017.
^Erlewine, Stephen Thomas (August 25, 2014).
"My Everything – Ariana Grande". AllMusic.
Archived from the original on February 24, 2022. Retrieved September 1, 2014.
^Piwowarski, Allison (February 3, 2021).
"What's Up With The Cat Ears?". Bustle.
Archived from the original on February 7, 2021. Retrieved February 3, 2021.