Ariana Grande is an American singer, songwriter and actor from Boca Raton, Florida. Born in 1993, she begins her career in 2008 in the Broadway musical 13 and later becomes known for playing Cat Valentine in the Nickelodeon series Victorious and its spin-off Sam & Cat.

Early career and television work

Grande records songs for the Victorious soundtrack while building a music career. She signs with Republic Records in 2011 after the label discovers videos of her singing covers on YouTube. Her early acting work helps establish her profile before her recording career takes off.

Studio albums and musical style

Her debut album, Yours Truly (2013), draws on 1950s doo-wop as well as pop and R&B. It reaches number one on the US Billboard 200 and includes her first US top-ten single, “The Way”, featuring Mac Miller. Her second album, My Everything (2014), continues the pop-R&B direction and adds EDM elements. It also tops the Billboard 200 and includes four US top-ten singles: “Problem”, “Break Free”, “Bang Bang” and “Love Me Harder” featuring The Weeknd.

Dangerous Woman (2016) extends her pop-R&B sound and becomes her first of three consecutive number-one albums in the UK. It includes the Grammy-nominated title track and “Side to Side”. On Sweetener (2018) and Thank U, Next (2019), she incorporates trap influences while keeping her pop-R&B style. Both albums debut at number one in several countries and are noted for giving her greater creative control. Sweetener wins a Grammy for Best Pop Vocal Album and includes “No Tears Left to Cry”, which reaches the international top three. Thank U, Next breaks streaming records.

On “7 Rings”, “Break Up with Your Girlfriend, I’m Bored” and “Thank U, Next”, she becomes the first solo artist to hold the top three positions on the Billboard Hot 100 at the same time. She also becomes the first artist to have the lead singles from each of her first six studio albums debut in the US top ten.

Positions and later releases

Positions (2020) debuts at number one on the Billboard 200, giving her a fifth number-one album there. Its title track debuts at number one in both the US and the UK, following her earlier US number-one collaborations “Stuck with U” with Justin Bieber and “Rain on Me” with Lady Gaga. A deluxe edition adds four new songs and a remix of “34+35” featuring Doja Cat and Megan Thee Stallion; that remix helps the song peak at number two.

In 2021, she appears on a remix of The Weeknd’s “Save Your Tears”, which reaches number one in the US and Canada. In 2024, she releases eternal sunshine, a concept album inspired by Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. Its lead single “yes, and?” debuts at number one on the Hot 100, and “we can’t be friends (wait for your love)” also debuts at number one. During the album cycle, she works on remixes with Mariah Carey, Brandy, Monica, Charli XCX and Troye Sivan.

Film, awards and recognition

Grande stars as Glinda in the two-part film adaptation of Wicked. She receives major awards recognition for the performance, including nominations across the Oscars, SAG Awards, Golden Globes and BAFTAs. Over her career, she wins two Grammy Awards, ten MTV Video Music Awards, one Brit Award, two Billboard Music Awards and three American Music Awards.

Her albums are all certified platinum by the RIAA. She has sold over 90 million records worldwide and accumulates 98 billion global streams as of 2021, becoming the first female artist to pass 90 billion streams. She is the most-streamed female artist of the 2010s on Spotify and Apple Music, and in 2024 becomes the first artist to have five albums with multiple songs over a billion Spotify streams. Her signature high ponytail becomes closely associated with her public image.

Label work and influence

She is associated with GrandAriMusic, Babydoll Music and Ariana Grande LP6. Her work is rooted in contemporary R&B, dance-pop, pop, R&B and trap soul. She is cited as an influence by artists including Billie Eilish, Chappell Roan, Lana Del Rey, Bryson Tiller, Charlie Puth, Sufjan Stevens, Troye Sivan, Zara Larsson, Tate McRae, Madison Beer, Jung Kook, Michelle Zauner of Japanese Breakfast, Giselle of aespa and Meghan Trainor.

Grande is recognised by Billboard, Forbes, Time and Rolling Stone in a range of year-end and all-time lists, including Billboard’s “Woman of the Year” in 2018 and its ranking of her among the greatest pop stars of the 21st century.