Ariana Grande has been making major strides in her career in the past couple of months. Her fourth album, Sweetener, is now her third number one album on the Billboard 200. She has produced three Top 10 singles on the Hot 100. At the American Music Awards, Grande was nominated for “Favorite Social Artist” and “International Solo Artist”. At the Norway GAFFA Awards, she was nominated for her song, God is a Woman. Grande won the Billboard’s “Woman of the Year”, which is one of her biggest accomplishments. In her speech, Grande said,  “I find it interesting that this has been one of the best years of my career and like the worst of my life.”

In addition to succeeding in music, Grande also has made great achievements in her music videos. Her first video that blew up recently was her song No Tears Left to Cry, it gathered 15  million views within 24 hours. That video also received a nomination for “Best Video” from the MTV Europe Music Awards. Her video for God is a Woman had great responses from fans, gathering more than 100 million views. Grande’s video for Thank U, Next broke a YouTube record for most views within a 24-hour release. The video gathered so much attention that YouTube.com got delayed for a bit. The video paid tribute to Ariana’s favorite women lead movies: 13 going on 30, Mean Girls, Legally Blonde and Bring It On. Grande released a video to her new song 7 Rings on Jan.17 that already has over 70,000,000 views.  God is a Woman is all about female empowerment. The lyrics said, “And I can be all the things you told me not to be, when you try to come for me I keep on flourishing.”

Grande has had many ups and downs in her career and fans can see this through her music. Each song has meaning and reflects her life. During Ariana’s Dangerous Woman Tour in 2017, a terrorist bombed her Manchester Arena concert, leaving 22 lives lost. The youngest being an 8-year-old named Saffie Roussos. In total there were 116 people admitted to the hospital. Grande said in an interview with Time Magazine, “Music is supposed to be the safest thing in the world. I think that’s why it’s still so heavy on my heart every single day. I wish there was more that I could fix.” In response to the bombing, Ariana held a benefit concert in Manchester. 55,000 people came out to support. Guest stars included Justin Bieber, The Black Eyed Peas, Miley Cyrus, Niall Horan, etc. Proceeds from the concert went to the We Love Manchester Emergency Fund.

Grande opens up in her song Breathin about her anxiety and PTSD which came from her childhood. Ariana started dating rapper Mac Miller in September 2016 but then ended their relationship in May of 2018. After the split, Ariana learned her ex-boyfriend Mac died of an overdose. She got engaged to Pete Davidson on June 11, 2018, but split on Oct. 15, 2018. Her song Thank u, next is a break-up anthem fans loved, with lyrics, “One taught me love, one taught me patience, and one taught me pain, now I’m so amazing.”

Grande has been known for being a great performer. She has performed many of her new songs on shows like Ellen, Jimmy Fallon and at the VMA’s. Coachella, a major music festival, just announced that Ariana will be headlining in 2019. Grande also announced that she will be going on tour with her new album Sweetner. The singer will perform at Madison Square Garden, American Airlines Arena and The Staples Center throughout the tour. She will be coming to the Xcel Energy Center in St.Paul, MN on July 8, 2019.

Grande made a post on social media hinting that her new album will be released February 8. The post has about 3,000,000 likes already. People can stream her music on Apple music, Spotify, Pandora, Amazon music, youtube, and more.

Ariana Grande’s success has reached the OHS.

Q: Why is Ariana Grande an inspiration?

Sophomore Zander Hammann: “She is an inspiration because she isn’t afraid to be herself and she helps others with who they are. She is so successful and that inspires me to want to be successful.

Junior Kayla Mollenhauer: “Ari inspires me to live the life only I can. Her songs remind me to be myself and to not be afraid of independence but to embrace it.”

Sophomore Brianna Bailey: “She is an inspiration because of the ways she constantly influences being yourself, spending time with the people you love, and working hard to better yourself and your impact on others.”

Q: What is your favorite song from Ariana?

Sophomore Zander Hammann: “7 rings.”

Junior Kayla Mollenhauer: “Probably 7 rings or R.E.M. Thank u, next is a given favorite of everyone.”

Junior Brianna Bailey: “ My favorite song is between thank u, next and 7 rings.”

Q: Why do you like Ariana Grande’s music?

Sophomore Zander Hammann: “She is really talented and her music has a wide variety.”

Junior Kayla Mollenhauer: “Ariana’s music is honestly such a guilty pleasure. She has such fun empowering lyrics and the beat just makes you want to dance.”

Sophomore Brianna Bailey: “I like Ariana’s music because she does many different styles of music, while incorporating her experiences and the people she loves in the whole making process of her music.”