Ariana Grande-Butera (born June 26, 1993) is an American singer, songwriter, and actress. As one of the world's leading contemporary recording artists, she is known for her wide vocal range and has received such accolades including one Grammy Award, one Brit Award and three American Music Awards (including Artist of the Year in 2016).
Born in Florida to a family of New York-Italian origin, Grande began her career in 2008 in the Broadway musical 13. She rose to prominence for her role of Cat Valentine in the Nickelodeon television series Victorious (2010–13) and in its spin-off Sam & Cat (2013–14). As she grew interested in pursuing a music career, Grande recorded songs for the soundtrack of Victorious and signed with Republic Records in 2011 after the label's executives discovered videos covering songs she uploaded onto YouTube. She released her debut album, Yours Truly, in 2013. A 1950s doo-wop-influenced pop and R&B album, Yours Truly peaked atop the US Billboard 200 and spawned her first US top-ten single, "The Way" featuring rapper Mac Miller.
Grande's second studio album, My Everything, continued the pop-R&B sound of its predecessor and incorporated EDM into a few tracks. The record topped the Billboard 200 and featured four US top-ten singles—"Problem", "Break Free", "Bang Bang", and "Love Me Harder". Grande's pop-R&B styles extended on her third studio album, Dangerous Woman (2016), which became her first number-one album in the UK. For her next two studio releases, Sweetener(2018) and Thank U, Next (2019), Grande experimented with trap while maintaining her characteristic pop-R&B tones. The former won a Grammy Award for Best Pop Vocal Album, and the latter became the album with the highest-streaming opening week. Grande became the first solo artist to hold the top three spots on the Billboard Hot 100 simultaneously when "Thank U, Next", "7 Rings", and "Break Up with Your Girlfriend, I'm Bored" did so in 2019. Grande is also the first artist to have the lead singles from each of their first five studio albums debut within the top-ten on the US charts.
An influential figure on social media, Grande is an outspoken feminist and supporter of LGBT rights. She asserts control over her public image and is known for her iconic ponytail hairdo and bold fashion statements. In February 2019, she became the most followed woman on Instagram. Time named Grande as one of the 100 most influential people in the world twice in 2016 and 2019, and Billboard recognized her as the "Woman of the Year" in 2018.
