There’s a high-ponytail shaped mark left by Ariana Grande in pop culture, but she is not done yet.
Over the years, Ariana Grande Butera has amassed a large following due to her many talents. She first caught the world’s attention when she performed in ‘13’ on Broadway and then played the lovable Cat Valentine in ‘Victorious’ and ‘Sam & Cat’. This helped launch a singing career and she went on to create a seven-album-long discography consisting of nine #1 hits. As a global musical and acting superstar, who best then to fulfil the role of Glinda in the cinema sensation of Wicked – now she’s being tipped for major awards in 2025.
Grande is best known for her skill in writing and performing pop music, with her debut album ‘Yours Truly’ appearing at the top of the Billboard 200 chart, making her the fifteenth female artist to ever do this, rapidly pushing her into the mainstream.
After the first album, Ariana still felt connected to her Nickelodeon character and decided to rebrand herself. In 2014, she began to style her hair into the iconic high ponytail that fans of Ariana know and love. This era became the ‘My Everything’ era, a hit-filled album featuring songs like ‘Problem’, ‘One Last Time’, ‘Break Free’, and ‘Bang Bang’.
The pop singer appeared to be on a steady uphill climb as she went onto release her third album ‘Dangerous Woman’, in which she released some of her most iconic singles, such as ‘Into You’ and ‘Side to Side’. However, while touring this album in the UK, there was a terrorist attack in Manchester, leading to the deaths of 22 fans who had attended the concert.
Distraught, Ariana visited injured fans in hospital, and planned a concert called ‘One Love Manchester,’ inviting famous performers like Justin Bieber, Miley Cyrus, Katy Perry, and others to help raise money for those affected by the incident. After the concert, Ariana took a step back from the public eye.
In 2018, Ariana returned with a dreamy and powerful single titled ‘no tears left to cry,’ which was a song about resilience, and a perfect comeback after the Manchester attack. This was also the start of the beloved ‘Sweetener’ era, in which Grande rocked a low blonde ponytail rather than the famous high ponytail.
Shortly after the release of ‘Sweetener’, Ariana’s ex-boyfriend Mac Miller died due to an overdose, returning grief to Ariana’s life after releasing an album overcoming it. However, instead of hiding from the public like after her last tragedy, Ariana wrote a whole new album.
‘Thank u, next’, Ariana’s fifth studio album, was a standout record. Her emotions are channelled beautifully while exploring grief over Mac, a breakup with her ex-fiancé Pete Davidson, and complicated feelings about fame. The album was highly acclaimed, and she became the first solo artist – and the second artist ever, after the Beatles – to occupy the whole top three of the Billboard Hot 100 chart, breaking the internet.
After releasing two albums within around six months, Ariana took two years before her next album release. ‘Positions’ had a different direction to ‘Thank u, next’ with more instrumentation and a hint of R&B in some songs. Fans divided about how they felt about the album, and many fans took the hating too far, leading Ariana herself to see these tweets.
In a 2024 interview on the ‘Las Culturistas’ podcast, Ariana explained that because of the hate she was receiving, she scrapped parts of the era that fans would have been able to enjoy if they had been less negative. This is also a likely reason for Ariana’s three-year long album break.
Towards the end of 2023, Ariana started to tease a new song called ‘yes, and?’, which released 12 days into January. This would be the lead single for her seventh studio album, ‘eternal sunshine’. Although the album released in March, Ariana has said that there will be six singles for the album, and only three songs have been released as singles as of the end of 2024. She also mentioned taking a break from music during the ‘Wicked’ release, but that she would return to the ‘eternal sunshine’ era afterwards.
Currently, Ariana and Cynthia Erivo are starring in the first movie version of ‘Wicked’ and are receiving critical acclaim for their performances. This is a special moment for Ariana as Glinda has been her dream role for her whole life, and she has spent time perfecting this character. She is also a close friend of the original Glinda, Kristin Chenoweth.
The witchy pair have gained a habit of going viral for their interviews together, such as an interview with a woman in “queer media” who told Cynthia that fans have been “holding space for the lyrics of Defying Gravity.” This clip has circulated the internet, leading Ariana and Cynthia to bring it up and realise that neither of the two knew what was going on in that moment.
Ariana has had many high points in her career despite struggles she has faced; scoring several chart-topping hits, achieving her dream role, breaking multiple records, and more. So, after the successes of ‘Wicked’ and ‘eternal sunshine’ in 2024, what does Ariana have in store for 2025?
