Ariana Grande | Biography, Songs, Career, Achievements, Ranking, Lifestyle 2024

Ariana Grande-Butera, born on June 26, 1993, is an American singer, songwriter, and actress. She is considered a pop icon and is recognized as a significant figure in popular music. Grande is known for her impressive four-octave vocal range and distinctive whistle register.

Throughout her career, she has been honored with various awards, including a Brit Award, two Grammy Awards, two Billboard Music Awards, three American Music Awards, nine MTV Video Music Awards, and 35 Guinness World Records. Rolling Stone has placed her among the greatest singers in history.

Career

Grande commenced her career at the age of 15 when she made her debut in the Broadway musical 13 (2008). She gained recognition for her portrayal of Cat Valentine in the Nickelodeon TV series Victorious (2010–2013) and subsequently signed with Republic Records in 2011.

Her first studio album, Yours Truly (2013), incorporated elements of retro-pop and R&B and produced the successful single “The Way”. With her second album, My Everything (2014), Grande ventured into EDM and achieved global fame with hit singles like “Problem”, “Break Free”, and “Bang Bang”. Continuing to explore the realms of pop and R&B, Grande solidified her critical and commercial success with her third album, Dangerous Woman (2016).

Grande’s personal struggles influenced the direction of her fourth and fifth albums, Sweetener (2018) and Thank U, Next (2019), which incorporated trap-infused sounds.

Sweetener won the Grammy Award for Best Pop Vocal Album, while Thank U, Next broke numerous streaming records and received Album of the Year nominations.

The album also made history as Grande became the first solo artist to occupy the top three positions on the Billboard Hot 100 chart simultaneously with its title track and “7 Rings”. She further broke records with the title track of her sixth album, Positions (2020), achieving the most number-one debuts in Hot 100 history.

Collaborations with Justin Bieber on “Stuck with U” and Lady Gaga on “Rain on Me” earned Grande the Grammy Award for Best Pop Duo/Group Performance.

Grande continued her chart-topping success with three additional number-one hits, including collaborations with The Weeknd and the song “Yes, And?” from her upcoming seventh album, Eternal Sunshine (2024).

In addition to her music career, Grande returned to acting with the political satire film Don’t Look Up (2021) and is set to star as Glinda in the highly anticipated two-part film adaptation of Wicked (2024–2025).

Grande has sold more than 90 million records, making her one of the world’s top-selling music artists. All of her studio albums have been certified platinum or higher by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA).

With an impressive 98 billion streams, Grande is among the most-streamed artists of all time and holds the title of the most-streamed female artist as of 2021. She dominated the streaming charts as the most-streamed female act of the 2010s and boasts the most songs with over a billion streams for a woman, with 14 on Spotify alone.

Grande’s social media presence is equally impressive, with over 380 million followers. She ranks as the sixth-most-followed individual on Instagram and is one of the most-subscribed and followed musicians on YouTube and Spotify.

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Recognized for her achievements, Grande was named Woman of the Year in 2018 and hailed as the most successful female artist to debut in the 2010s by Billboard. She has been featured in prestigious lists such as Time 100 in 2016 and 2019, Forbes Celebrity 100 from 2019 to 2020, and was crowned the highest-paid female musician of 2020 by Forbes.

Beyond her music and acting career, Grande is actively involved in charitable work and is a vocal advocate for animal rights, mental health, and gender, racial, and LGBT equality.

She has also ventured into the business world with the launch of R.E.M. Beauty, a cosmetics brand introduced in 2021, and a fragrance line that has generated over $1 billion in global retail sales.

Early Life

Ariana Grande-Butera was born in Boca Raton, Florida on June 26, 1993. Her mother, Joan Grande, is the CEO of Hose-McCann Communications, a company owned by the Grande family since 1964, while her father, Edward Butera, owns a graphic design firm in Boca Raton.

Grande, of Italian descent, identifies as an Italian American with Sicilian and Abruzzese roots. She has an older half-brother, Frankie Grande, who is an entertainer and producer.

Grande’s family relocated from New York to Florida before she was born, and her parents separated when she was around eight or nine years old. She shares a special bond with her maternal grandmother, Marjorie Grande.

On October 9, 1998, during the Florida Panthers’ first regular-season hockey game at the National Car Rental Center, Grande made history by becoming the first child to ride a Zamboni in the new arena during the first intermission.

This opportunity came about as a result of her parents’ successful $200 bid at an auction. A picture of her on the Zamboni was published in the South Florida SunSentinel the following day.

At the age of eight, Grande showcased her singing talent by performing “The Star-Spangled Banner” at the Panthers’ home game against the Chicago Blackhawks on January 16, 2002.

During her early years, Grande participated in productions with the Fort Lauderdale Children’s Theater, taking on roles such as Annie in the musical of the same name, as well as appearing in The Wizard of Oz and Beauty and the Beast.

She also displayed her vocal abilities by singing at a karaoke lounge on a cruise ship at the age of eight, and performing with orchestras like South Florida’s Philharmonic, Florida Sunshine Pops, and Symphonic Orchestras. Grande attended Pine Crest School and later North Broward Preparatory during this period.

Personal Life

Grande has disclosed her struggle with hypoglycemia, attributing it to poor dietary habits. She has been following a vegan lifestyle since 2013.

However, in 2019, fans questioned her vegan status after it was revealed that a special edition of one of her favorite drinks, created in collaboration with Starbucks, contained eggs.

Her nutritionist, Harley Pasternak, clarified that Grande is indeed vegan but allows herself to indulge and celebrate occasionally.

The Manchester Arena bombing had a profound impact on Grande, leading to the development of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and anxiety.

She almost withdrew from her performance in the 2018 broadcast A Very Wicked Halloween due to anxiety. Grande has been in therapy for over a decade, seeking support from mental health professionals since her parents’ divorce.

Although Grande was raised Roman Catholic, she distanced herself from the church during the pontificate of Benedict XVI, around 2013.

She disagreed with the church’s stance on homosexuality, particularly because her half-brother Frankie is gay. Grande and Frankie explored their spirituality by visiting a Kabbalah Centre, where they felt a strong connection.

Several of Grande’s songs, such as “Break Your Heart Right Back,” express support for LGBT rights. She has also been recognized as an advocate for a sex-positive attitude.

In November 2019, Grande publicly endorsed Bernie Sanders’ second presidential bid.

Forbes started reporting on Grande’s earnings in July 2019. In June 2020, she acquired a mansion in Hollywood Hills for $13.7 million. Additionally, Grande previously owned a penthouse in Lower Manhattan, which was sold for $13.5 million in 2021.

Following a break-in at her Montecito, California house, Grande decided to put it up for sale in September 2022. The mansion reportedly sold for $9.1 million.

Relationship

Grande crossed paths with actor Graham Phillips while working together in the Broadway musical 13 back in 2008, and their relationship lasted until 2011. Following this, Grande had an on-again, off-again romance with Australian YouTuber Jai Brooks from August 2012 to July 2013, with a brief reconciliation from May to August 2014. She then dated English singer Nathan Sykes from August to December 2013, and subsequently rapper Big Sean from October 2014 to April 2015.

After collaborating on the song “The Way” with Mac Miller in 2012, the two artists began a romantic relationship in 2016. They worked together on the track “My Favorite Part”, which was featured on Miller’s album The Divine Feminine (2016). Unfortunately, their relationship came to an end by May 2018, following Miller’s tragic passing from an accidental drug overdose that September.

In May 2018, Grande started dating actor and comedian Pete Davidson, and the couple got engaged the following month. However, their relationship concluded in October 2018.

Grande then found love with real estate agent Dalton Gomez in January 2020. Although they kept their relationship mostly private, it was revealed in the music video for her and Justin Bieber’s charity single “Stuck With U”. Grande announced their engagement on December 20, 2020, after almost a year of dating. The couple tied the knot on May 15, 2021, in an intimate ceremony at her residence in Montecito, California, where Grande wore a custom Vera Wang gown. Their wedding photos became some of the most-liked Instagram posts, garnering over 25 million likes. Unfortunately, the couple decided to part ways in 2023, with their divorce being finalized in October of that year.

Philanthropist and Activism

At the age of ten, Grande co-founded Kids Who Care, a youth singing group in South Florida. This group performed at various charitable events and managed to raise an impressive amount of over $500,000 in 2007 alone. In 2009, Grande, along with her brother Frankie, joined the charitable organization Broadway in South Africa. During their time there, they not only performed but also taught music and dance to children in Gugulethu, South Africa.

In 2013, Grande collaborated with Bridgit Mendler and Kat Graham for a public campaign featured in Seventeen magazine. The campaign aimed to put an end to online bullying and was called “Delete Digital Drama”. Additionally, after watching the documentary film Blackfish that same year, Grande used her platform to encourage her fans to stop supporting SeaWorld.

Grande’s involvement in charitable causes continued in September 2014 when she participated in the Stand Up to Cancer television program. During the program, she performed her song “My Everything” as a tribute to her late grandfather, who had passed away from cancer in July of that year. Furthermore, Grande has shown her love for animals by adopting several rescue dogs as pets and promoting pet adoption at her concerts.

In 2016, Grande collaborated with MAC Cosmetics to launch her own line of lip shades called “Ariana Grande’s MAC Viva Glam”. The profits from this collaboration went towards benefiting individuals affected by HIV and AIDS.

In June 2021, Grande, alongside several other notable figures, affixed her signature to an open letter addressed to Congress, urging the passage of the Equality Act.

The Act’s significance lies in its ability to safeguard “marginalized communities”. During that same month, Grande collaborated with the online platform BetterHelp, generously providing $2 million worth of therapy to her fans.

Demonstrating her commitment to the cause, she launched the Protect & Defend Trans Youth Fund on International Transgender Day of Visibility in 2022. Grande pledged to match every donation made to the fund, up to a total of $1.5 million, with the aim of supporting transgender youth.

In May 2022, Grande joined forces with 160 other artists and influencers to endorse a ‘Bans Off Our Bodies’ full-page advertisement in The New York Times, advocating for abortion rights in the United States.

Additionally, Grande was among 175 entertainers who signed an open letter opposing book bans in US schools in 2023. Lastly, in June 2022, Grande publicly endorsed Karen Bass for the 2022 Los Angeles mayoral election.

Achievement

Grande has achieved an impressive feat by breaking thirty-five Guinness World Records as of 2023.

These records encompass a wide range of achievements, such as having the most songs to debut at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100, holding the title for the most followers on Spotify among female artists, and being the female artist with the highest number of monthly listeners on Spotify.

Additionally, Grande holds records for being the most streamed act on Spotify, having the most streamed track in one week by a female artist on the Billboard charts, and achieving the fastest hat-trick of UK No. 1 singles by a female artist.

She also made history as the first female artist to replace herself at No. 1 on the UK singles chart and the first solo artist to do so for two consecutive weeks.

Furthermore, Grande holds the record for having the most subscribers for a musician on YouTube among female artists and for having the most streamed album by a female artist in one week in the UK.

These remarkable accomplishments were largely attributed to the success of her album Thank U, Next, which was prominently featured in the 2020 Edition.

Filmography

Discography