20 Things Ariana Grande Did That Fans Won't Ever Forget

Publish date: 2024-06-30

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Five years ago Ariana Grande was still starring in a Nickelodeon sitcom called Sam & Cat. Before that, we had fallen in love with her as during her Cat Valentine days in Victorious, with the striking red hair, goofy personality, and a powerhouse voice.

While she was still on television, Ariana worked on her music career, she uploaded covers of her singing Adele, Whitney Houston and Mariah Carey to YouTube and got herself a record contract as a result. She left television and established herself as a bonafide songstress, dropping her first album “Yours Truly” three years later. Her albums “Yours Truly” and “My Everything” debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard charts on release. She has done collaborations with some of the biggest names in the business, the likes of Jessi J, Nicki Minaj, Iggy Azalea but to name a few. She has dropped chart-topping hits, with all her songs fairing really well.

Most recently, she dropped her fourth album, Sweetener, which came out on August 17 and, as is her custom, debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard charts. Ariana is truly entering her imperial phase.

Apart from being a platinum-selling artist, Ari is also a maker of moments, creating news everywhere she goes. Some of her most unforgettable moments are what made her THE Ariana Grande of today. And the most iconic ones just happen to be the most surprising ones too.

Holding Concert For Manchester

After the attack at her May 22, 2017 concert in Manchester, U.K., Ariana went above and beyond to comfort and help the victims. With her One Manchester Concert, held earlier this month, she raised over $10 million for the injured and families of the 22 fans killed in the attack. The suicide bombing, which killed 22 people and injured more than 100, many of them young people, took place just after Grande had finished performing. She later canceled several concerts scheduled in London and Europe through June 5. One Love Manchester was unimaginably ground-breaking. A while later, many, numerous individuals were brimming with praise for Ariana. (Source: Reuters)

Her Face During Victoria's Secret Performance

There may have been several things that were missed during the 2014 Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show. However, we are sure that everyone who watched the show and those who streamed it later can all agree that the one moment that stood out, was when Ariana Grande was smacked in the face, her reaction afterward, and the meme storm that took over the internet. During her performance of "Bang Bang," Victoria Secret model Elsa Hosk walked past her and seemingly forgot one minor detail: She had a humungous set of angel wings attached to her body and hit Ariana right in the face with them. Ariana though, went on like nothing happened. (Source: Bustle)

When She Spoke About Feminism

Whether we like to admit it or not, the media constantly places women in the shadow of men, and Ariana got the brunt of this. After Ariana Grande’s split from Big Sean was confirmed, the headlines were flying, speculating about possible scandals, mostly blaming Ariana for the breakup. Then a little later was snapped with One Direction’s Niall Horan. When she was confronted about the rumors, she was not pleased at all. She said that she was tired of constantly being linked with a guy like she was some piece of property. She corrected that she was not Big Sean’s ex or Niall’s new girl, she was Ariana Grande, a woman on her own respect. Wow. (Source: TeenVogue)

When She Encouraged Young Girls

Ever since she broke into the industry, people have been claiming that Ariana Grande looks much younger than her actual age. It was a running joke for years to the point she couldn't escape it. Maybe it was because we had gotten so used to her as a child star on Nickelodeon and had not gone the Miley Cyrus way of shaking off the baby image using leotards. When she was asked whether it bothered her that she looked younger than her age, she was quick to point out that she did not focus on it so much; and even in the event that she did, it would be great for her to be 40 years old yet looking 30.

When She Hit Back

In 2015, a body shamer found himself on the wrong side of the fence when his mean comment caught the attention of Ariana Grande. Ariana hit back at the body shamer who compared her unfavorably to Ariel Winter. The pop princess, 22, reposted a comment in which the person said that he preferred Ariel Winter to Ariana because the latter was too ‘stick’ and he preferred curves. However, the former Nickelodeon star wasn't having it, taking the troll to task on her Instagram account a few days later. She stated that we lived in a world where people made it hard for women to embrace themselves as they are. She went on to point out that misogyny, objectifying, labeling, comparing and body shaming were not attractive at all. (Source: Glamour)

When She Attended Women's March

While she may be tiny in stature, Ariana Grande is super mighty in her politics. She is a well-known feminist who likes to speak up about the rights of women and equality. Whether she is shutting down body shamers or on a radio interview, feminism is always on her agenda. That is why we obviously expected Ariana to be at the 2017 Women's March. However, she did not come alone this time around. In an Instagram post of Grande's mother Joan and grandmother Marjorie published on Friday, Jan 20, Grande shared her plans to march with the two incredible ladies the following day. Talk about using her star power for good. (Source: Bustle)

When She Defended Her Fans' Rights

From Judy Garland to Britney Spears, pop artists have often been heralded as icons and allies for people who aren't straight. They have provided us with hits for the club, and many, like Lady Gaga and Madonna, have used their platform to fight for rights. Several of her peers are fierce allies in their own right, but Ariana Grande’s advocacy is unmatched. It could be due to her love for her brother Frankie J who came out of the closet. She lauded her fans in an open letter which she wrote to Billboard, detailing her love for her fans. She went on to tell them that she was proud and happy for them. (Source: Billboard)

When She Launched Her Emoji Collection

When Blac Chyna unveiled her new emoji app — aptly titled "Chymoji" — she wasn’t just keeping up with the Kardashians. It seems like the in thing in Hollywood is after one has made it, they have to release an emoji collection. A bevy of celebrities like Kim Kardashian, Lebron James, and our very own sweetheart Ariana, have launched their own emojis. Her emoji collection, which was called “Arimoji”, gave you exclusive access to Ariana emojis, stickers, and GIFs for every mood. The keyboard included an iMessage extension so you could easily use ARIMOJIs as stickers. This app, however, was only available for Apple devices.

When She Was On Disney

Before she was popping chart-topping hits or doing a dance routine on a bicycle, Ariana Grande was known as the red-haired queer girl with the funny laugh on the Disney show Victorious. Even though she had had her breakthrough in Broadway some years prior to, she became a household name when she was introduced to our screens on the Nickelodeon show. It was a bit of a shock to many to realize that she could sing too. Looking at her now, we can find it a bit hard to imagine that she was once just Cat; more so if we were to watch reruns of the show. (Source: GlamourMagazine)

All gaming fans got super excited when it was announced that Ariana Grande would become a playable character in Final Fantasy: Brave Exvius. Final Fantasy (for those who are not gamers or have been living under a rock) is a mobile game, which features two knights who can summon 'visions' to help in combat and is free-to-play. Grande announced that her likeness as 'DW' (or Dangerous Woman) would appear in the game via Instagram. The character appeared to have been modeled after her album cover of the same name. This was the first time a non-fictional character made an appearance in Final Fantasy. (Source: Forbes)

Her Impersonation Of Jennifer Lawrence

If you did not know this yet or knew and you somehow forgot, Ariana Grande is very good at personal impressions. I mean she is really good. She was really good that even Jennifer Lawrence was impressed. In 2016, Ariana Grande was cast in a Saturday Night Live Celebrity Family Feud sketch where she impersonated Jennifer Lawrence. Her impression of Jennifer Lawrence was so spot on that the Oscar winner had to speak about it during an interview with Vogue, praising the singer’s impression as being “very spot on.” That is one SNL episode that many of us will not forget anytime soon. (Source: Billboard)

She Dated A Fan

Remember that time when Ariana Grande was dating someone she met on the internet? Well, she did. And no, they did not meet on Tinder. Surprisingly, they met on Twitter and started dating long distance even before they had met face to face. He was Australian YouTube comedian, Jai Brooks. He met Ariana Grande in the summer of 2012. The two began long distance dating later that year until they finally met in person in New York City on December 30, 2012. They broke up in August 2013 but begun dating again in 2014 for a few months before calling it quits for good.

She Performed At The White House...Twice

You know you have reached some really good musical heights when you are called to perform for the president at the white house. However, what heights have you reached when you are called to perform not once, but twice, within a span of two months? Well, that’s what happened to Ariana Grande. In 2014, she was asked to sing at the White House concert, and she did not disappoint. The first couple must have been so moved by her performance that she was invited back a month later by Barack and Michelle Obama to perform at the White House Easter Egg Roll. (Source: HollywoodLife)

She Wore The Final Judgment At The Met Gala

This year’s theme at the Met Gala was “Heavenly Bodies: Fashion and the Catholic Imagination” and all the stars, also not forgetting the designers, did a splendid job in bringing this theme to life. For Ariana Grande, that meant pulling her look straight from one of the most famous places of worship on the planet. Grande donned a Vera Wang gown screen-printed with images from Michelangelo's iconic fresco, The Last Judgement, which adorns the sanctuary wall of the Sistine Chapel. It was a very emotional night for Ariana, not only because it was her first Met Gala, but also because it was her first red carpet after Manchester. Verdict: Nailed it!! (Source: HarpersBazaar)

Proof of just how much of an iconic figure she had become. Ariana Grande was featured in this years’ Time Magazine’s Next Generation Leaders. In the interview, Ariana revealed that she was ready to be happy and it was important to her for people to know that. It has been two years since her last album Dangerous Woman dropped and now she was ready to release new music, her album titled Sweetener. She also spoke of her experience after Manchester last year and how that affected her as a person. She stated that when she took care of herself more, love, joy, and freedom came.

She Was Obsessed With Planets

Over the past few months, Ariana Grande has been busy on her Instagram Stories and on her Twitter account, posting videos and photos of her fawning over Jupiter for more than an hour. Yes, Jupiter the planet. And although it seemed that the singer was ready to cancel Earth and move to the planet, she later declared that Neptune won her heart over. Her space-themed stories have not really come as too big a surprise, given her out of this world music videos and new space-themed looks, with her stunning silver hair, rainbow prism highlight, and the cool purple tones. Erm, okay. (Source: TeenVogue)

Her Response To Milly Brown's Instagram Post

Millie Bobby Brown has been having a lot of Instagram-worthy moments together with her boyfriend Jacob Sartorius. The Stranger Things star took to her Insta account in May to post a photo of her and Jacob kissing on the beach. "Moonlight with him," Millie wrote in her caption, along with the moon emoji. The pic soon racked up a ton of likes and some of the biggest stars have also weighed in on the kiss. But Ariana Grande might have won the Insta-comments with her hilarious addition. "I wasn't even allowed to leave my house til I was 20," the singer wrote. We're willing to bet Millie had a good laugh at the comment. (Source: Buzzfeed)

She Bought Food For Fans

Ariana Grande just simply adores her fans. This was proven even more in 2014 while she was in London. The singer bought cookies and hot chocolate for everyone who was waiting to see her in the cold — and even signed their cups. Fans in London gathered together outside of Ariana's hotel room while she was in town for the 2014 Victoria's Secret Fashion Show. Since it was incredibly cold, the singer showed her gratitude with warm drinks, yummy snacks, and a special, limited edition cup signed by Ariana Grande. A fan tweeted about the experience and was completely stunned by Ariana's kindness. (Source: J-14)

When She And Pete Dressed Up As Wizards

Aaaw. In May this year, Pete Davidson took to social media to show off the time they had spent together — and matching outfits are involved. In a post on Pete's Instagram, the couple is seen standing side-by-side wearing matching Hogwarts robes. Pete accessorized his look with a baseball hat that appeared to say "I love you," while Ariana donned her signature ponytail. Pete captioned the image with a nod to the boy wizard himself, writing, "the chamber of secrets has been opened ..." Pete was wearing a shirt that shows his love of Gryffindor while Ariana showed her support of Slytherin in a separate selfie. (Source: ThisIsInsider)

She Got Her Happily Ever After

After the many failed relationships that have plagued her life, in the form of Big Sean, Mac Miller, and Jair Brooks, it looks like cupid is finally smiling at our dear girl Ariana. In May, after she penned a heartfelt message to her ex Mac Miller, Ari was severally spotted getting cozy with the SNL host, whom she met on, unsurprisingly, the set of Saturday Night Live. Within a short span of time, both have gotten matching tattoos and become engaged, set to be married. All the ruckus that has come with their engagement aside, it looks to us that Ariana has finally found her prince charming after having passed through many frogs. (Source: Cosmopolitan)

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