Ariana Grande

Who is Ariana Grande?

Ariana Grande-Butera, born June 26, 1993, is an American singer, songwriter and actress. She is one of the most successful pop artists of her generation, with three Grammy Awards, a Brit Award, two Billboard Music Awards and more than forty Guinness World Records to her name. Her four-octave voice and whistle register are her signature.

Early life and Nickelodeon years

Grande grew up in Boca Raton, Florida, and performed from childhood. She made her Broadway debut in the 2008 musical 13. Two years later she broke through on television as Cat Valentine in Nickelodeon's Victorious, a role she carried into the spin-off Sam & Cat (2013–2014).

Music breakthrough

Republic Records signed Grande in 2011 after executives saw the cover videos she posted to YouTube. Her debut album Yours Truly (2013) gave her a first US top-10 hit in "The Way," featuring Mac Miller. My Everything (2014) and Dangerous Woman (2016) then turned her into a global headliner.

Career-defining era

Sweetener (2018) and Thank U, Next (2019) arrived barely six months apart and reset her career. The latter's title track and "7 Rings" both reached number one on the Billboard Hot 100. Sweetener won the Grammy for Best Pop Vocal Album, and her 2020 duet with Lady Gaga, "Rain on Me," won Best Pop Duo/Group Performance. She returned to confessional writing on Eternal Sunshine (2024).

Acting and recent work

Grande also built a serious film career. In 2024 she played Glinda in the screen adaptation of Wicked, a performance that drew major awards attention. In 2026 she opened a new musical chapter with Hate That I Made You Love Me, the lead single from her eighth studio album, Petal.

Musical style

Grande's sound blends pop with R&B, trap and electronic production. She builds songs around layered harmonies and big high notes, and has often named Mariah Carey and Whitney Houston as the singers who shaped her phrasing.

Legacy

Few pop artists have defined the past decade as clearly. With billions of streams, repeated number-one debuts and a vocal style copied across a generation, Ariana Grande sits among the most important musicians of the 2010s and 2020s.