Ariana Grande

Ariana Grande is one of the defining pop stars of her generation, a singer celebrated for her four-octave range, whistle-register notes and a run of chart records that few artists have approached. Born Ariana Grande-Butera on June 26, 1993, in Boca Raton, Florida, she started as a child performer and grew into one of the most-streamed female artists in the world. With more than 90 million records sold, three Grammy Awards and a parallel career as an actress that earned her an Oscar nomination, Grande has moved fluidly between pop stardom and the screen.

From Nickelodeon to the charts

Grande began on the stage, landing a role in the Broadway musical 13 as a teenager in 2008. Her big break came in 2010 when she was cast as Cat Valentine on the Nickelodeon series Victorious, a part she carried into the spin-off Sam & Cat. While acting, she developed her voice, and after signing with Republic Records she released her debut album, Yours Truly, in 2013. It debuted at number one, and its lead single “The Way,” featuring the late Mac Miller, drew comparisons to Mariah Carey for its R&B-tinged pop and Grande’s wide vocal range.

A run of hit albums

Her second album, My Everything (2014), turned her into a full-fledged pop star with singles like “Problem” and “Break Free.” Dangerous Woman followed in 2016, and then came Sweetener in 2018, which won the Grammy for Best Pop Vocal Album. The momentum peaked with thank u, next in 2019. Its title track and “7 Rings” both reached number one, and Grande became the first solo artist to hold the top three positions on the Billboard Hot 100 at the same time, a feat matched in chart history only by the Beatles. She kept the streak going with Positions in 2020 and 2024’s eternal sunshine, which produced the number-one songs “yes, and?” and “we can’t be friends.”

Records and collaborations

Grande’s collaborations rewrote parts of the record books. “Stuck with U” with Justin Bieber and “Rain on Me” with Lady Gaga both debuted at number one, helping her set the record for the most number-one debuts on the Hot 100, and “Rain on Me” won the Grammy for Best Pop Duo/Group Performance as the first all-female collaboration to take that category. In 2021 she joined The Voice as a coach, reportedly becoming the highest-paid coach in the show’s history. Her beauty brand, r.e.m. beauty, extended her reach beyond music.

Glinda and the screen

Grande returned to acting in a major way as Glinda in the two-part film adaptation of the musical Wicked, released in 2024 and 2025. Her performance drew wide acclaim and earned an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actress, along with Golden Globe and other nominations. Her duet with co-star Cynthia Erivo on “Defying Gravity” won a Grammy for Best Pop Duo/Group Performance, tying her acting and singing careers together. From a Nickelodeon sitcom to the Oscars stage, Grande has built one of the most versatile careers in modern pop.

A voice first

For all the chart records and acting roles, Grande’s foundation has always been her voice. Critics have compared her instrument to Mariah Carey‘s, citing the same flexibility, the same ability to leap into a whistle register, and the same control across a four-octave range. That technical command is why she can move between airy pop singles, breathy R&B and the full-throated Broadway belting of “Defying Gravity” without sounding like a different artist each time.

One of her generation’s biggest

By the end of the 2010s, Grande was named the most accomplished female artist to debut in that decade and one of its most-streamed performers. She became the youngest solo artist to headline the Coachella festival, and her tours and singles routinely topped global charts. That combination of vocal ability, songwriting that drew openly on her own life, and a sharp pop instinct kept her at the center of the conversation for more than a decade, long after many of her early peers had faded.

Beyond the music

Grande’s influence has spilled well past the charts. Her signature high ponytail became a recognizable style of its own, her beauty line r.e.m. beauty extended her brand into a new industry, and her openness about her personal life, woven directly into albums like thank u, next and eternal sunshine, deepened her bond with fans. She has used her platform for causes ranging from disaster relief to animal rescue, and her standing as one of the most-followed and most-streamed women in music has made her a defining figure of the streaming era, equally at home topping the charts, headlining the largest stages in pop, and crossing over to film without missing a step. That breadth, paired with a voice few of her peers can match, is what keeps her at the front of pop more than a decade after her first hit.

Her 2014 breakout “Break Free” was produced by and features the German DJ Zedd.

Most loved songs

A spread across her catalogue. Each title opens through the in-site player.

From breakout pop singles to a Grammy-winning movie duet, Grande’s range keeps surprising listeners. If one of her songs is stuck in your head, type it into the search box above to find it.