Facts about Ariana Grande
Ariana Grande Biography
Ariana Grande is the pop singer and former Nickelodeon star who played Cat Valentine in two separate TV series, Victorious and Sam & Cat. She is now also known for her 2017 concert in Manchester, England, where a bomb killed 22 concertgoers.
Born in Florida, Ariana Grande made her professional debut on the Broadway stage in 2008, when she starred in the musical comedy 13. Her family moved to Los Angeles, and while still a teen she ended up being cast as Cat Valentine in 2010’s Victorious. She spent three seasons in the supporting role, which turned into a leading role in the buddy comedy Sam & Cat (2013-14, with Jeannette McCurdy).
During the run of Victorious, Grande lent her voice to three soundtrack albums, and while appearing in Sam & Cat she released the single “The Way,” followed by her debut album, Yours Truly, which debuted at #1 on the Billboard pop charts. That launched her career as a pop star, and while touring extensively she released the follow-up albums My Everything (2014) and Dangerous Woman (2016). Grande told The New York Times in 2014 that her goal starting out was to be “a little ’50s pinup” and “a good girl, goody two shoes, Audrey Hepburn, classic, safe, feminine, soft, girlie.” A 2017 Times story noted her “trademark high ponytail, long eyelashes and kitty-cat ears headband (lately switched to bunny ears).”
Ariane Grande’s 2017 Dangerous Woman world tour was interrupted by a shocking tragedy. At the end of a May 22, 2017 concert at Manchester Arena in Manchester, England, a suicide bomber detonated an explosive device in a public hall outside the arena that killed 22 people and injured 59 more. Grande was uninjured, and suspended her concert tour the next day.
Extra credit
Ariana Grande had a “doughnut scandal” in July of 2015 after a security camera caught her licking doughnuts for sale on a counter at a shop called Wolfee Donuts while the clerk was out of the room. The camera then caught her saying to a friend in disgust, “I hate Americans. I hate America.” After a social media uproar, Grande issued a lengthy apology, saying “I am EXTREMELY proud to be an American… What I said in a private moment with my friend, who was buying the donuts, was taken out of context and I am sorry for not using more discretion with my choice of words. As an advocate for healthy eating, food is very important to me and I sometimes get upset by how freely we as Americans eat and consume things without giving any thought to the consequences that it has on our health and society as a whole.”