Isn’t It Grande: Ariana Grande’s Star Is On The Rise

BY STACEY PASTERNAK

If you went to a certain Florida Panthers ice hockey game about eleven years ago, you’d have heard an eight-year-old girl singing the National Anthem. No big deal right? Every sporting event has somebody singing the national anthem.  Little did this girl, or anybody else know, however, that around a decade later, she’d be the extremely famous Nickelodeon TV star, Ariana Grande.

Nickelodeon is a channel that Grande has been infatuated with her whole life. In an interview with BOP magazine, Grande revealed that, when she was just four years old, she decided to call the Nickelodeon network to tell them that she wanted to star on All That, a once-popular Nickelodeon show. The Nickelodeon rep she spoke to was amused and told her to get an agent and grow up first. Surprisingly, she took that advice to heart and after gaining more acting and singing experience, including being featured on Broadway, her dream came true. She now has a lead role on Nickelodeon’s Victorious as Cat Valentine, a spacey, bubbly, happy-go-lucky character that Grande has said she has a lot in common with. Ariana Grande has quickly become one of the more well-recieved actresses on the show and this role has directly led to her rising popularity.

Grande hasn’t had many solo singing parts on Victorious, but the few she did have were amazing. So amazing, in fact, that people began to believe her solos were studio-enhanced. This is not true, however, if you haven’t watched her performances at the aforementioned Panthers game or her songs from the musical 13, there’s even more proof on “Osnapitzari,” Grande’s personal YouTube channel. The channel features everything from funny videos with friends to her own covers of popular songs and even some original work. This channel is the place to go if you want to hear Grande’s incredible vocal range; she even goes as far as replicating Mariah Carey’s signature whistle tones on her cover of “Emotions”. Ariana Grande is now in the process of creating her first studio album, and the first single, “Put Your Hearts Up,” is becoming extremely popular. The “Put Your Hearts Up” music video features Ariana’s signature style in clothing, hair and, of course, vocals. It is a great portrayal of what we can expect from her album when it does come out, and her fans, or “Arianators,” are bubbling with excitement to hear it in it’s entirety.

Ariana Grande’s singing career is definitely taking off, but what about her acting career? Grande became part of the Broward Center for the Performing Arts at a very young age, which eventually lead to her role on Broadway’s 13: the Musical as Charlotte, a popular cheerleader. For her role, Grande won the National Youth Theatre Association Award in 2009. Her resume was added to once again when she landed a role on Victorious. With Victorious is in its final season though, many fans wonder what’s next for Grande’s acting. No worries… Cat Valentine lovers can rejoice! Seeing as both Victorious and iCarly are ending, Grande and iCarly‘s Jennette McCurdy (who plays Sam Puckett) will be teaming up to do a spin-off show on Nickelodeon entitled Sam and Cat. The show’s premise is this: roommates Sam Puckett and Cat Valentine form a babysitting business to make extra money. Until then, Victorious‘s season four premiere was on September 22nd, and three more episodes of the show are set to air from November 24th to December 1st.

Although singing and acting are Ariana Grande’s fortes, her choices in fashion have been making almost as big of a splash. Her bright red hair and taste for huge bows, Forever 21 and American Apparel have sent many girls to the mall or salon with pictures of their favorite Ariana Grande hair cut, color, or outfit. On Tumblr, there are even some blogs dedicated solely to Ariana-wear. Basically, these blogs take images of Grande in her clothes and tells fans how to achieve the perfect “Ariana-look.” Not to mention YouTube how-to tutorials that make it easy for girls to achieve the signature hair and make-up looks of their red-headed idol, and in just a few clicks you too can replicate the style of this starlet. Popular demand has even driven Grande to make her own video on her YouTube channel explaining how she does her makeup. Uploaded in late October, it has already gotten almost 670,000 views and over 13,000 likes.

From singing the National Anthem at a Panthers game to landing a lead role on a popular Nickelodeon show, Ariana Grande has truly come a long way. With her debut album in production and her acting career blossoming as well, there’s a lot being expected of this nineteen-year-old. No one is certain where her fame will take her in the future, but as long as her talent and persona stay intact, Ms. Grande is sure to go far in the business.