A former child actress who starred in Nickelodoen sitcom Victorius, Ariana Grande has rejected the throwaway, bubblegum pop of most teen idols in favour of a slick, sassy take on 1990s R&B. Fighting off obvious comparisons with Myley Cyrus, the Floridian started putting homemade recordings of Whitney Houston and Mariah Carey songs on YouTube and was soon spotted by Justin Beiber's manager Scooter Braun. Spending three years writing, recording and transforming herself into a soulful pop diva, Grande's single The Way with rapper Mac Miller made the US Top 10 before debut album Yours Truly (2013) was recorded with legendary producer Kenneth "Babyface" Edmonds and featured Big Sean, Mika and her boyfriend Nathan Sykes of boyband The Wanted. Propelled by her army of fans known as "Arianators", the album shot to Number 1 in the US and became a big global success, going on to be invited by President Obama to perform at the Women of Soul concert at the White House. Grande landed another big single by collaborating with Iggy Azalea on their Number 3 hit Problem and continues to turn her love of hip hop, funk and soul into a refreshingly original brand of teen pop.
Artist biography compiled by BDS/West 10. All rights reserved
