Though many may believe that singer Ariana Grande is an overnight sensation, the vocal powerhouse her fame and success is the culmination of years of singing on a variety of stages.Born Ariana Grande-Butera, named Princess Oriana, a character from the old cartoon, Felix the Cat, she had stars in her eyes from a very young age. Beginning with the Fort Lauderdale Children’s Theatre, Grande played Annie as well as playing parts in The Wizard of Oz and Beauty and the Beast. It was only beginning and by age 8 Grande enjoyed a variety of opportunities to hone her craft including performing at a karaoke lounge on a cruise ship, with the South Florida Philharmonic, Florida Sunshine Pops and Symphonic Orchestras. These performances lead her to a national television debut where she sang the Star Spangled Banner for the Florida Panthers.Though she would still concentrate on her theatrical aspirations, by age thirteen she was serious about her musical career. By this time her fledgling career was being guided by managers whom she flew to meet with in Los Angeles at 14. Grande was insistent on recording an R&B album, despite her managers’ hesitation over her young age. Only a year later Grande won a National Youth Theatre Association award for her part in the supporting role of Charlotte in the broadway musical 13. In between her performances with the musical she performed at Birdland, a New York City jazz club.Despite all of these successes, Grande’s big breakthrough came in 2009 when she landed the role of Cat Valentine in Nickelodeon’s television show Victorious. With an audience of 5.7 million viewers, the part pushed Grande to teen idol status even though Grande’s passion remained with music. It was after the first season wrapped that Grande had the chance to put her efforts into her music, recording and uploading videos of herself performing covers of top artists such as Mariah Carey, Adele and Whitney Houston. With the way that social media has of connecting people, Grande was soon found by the CEO of Republic Records and signed her first recording contract.In 2012 Nickelodeon announced a spin-off pilot of Victorious, Cat & Sam, starring Grande and Jeanette McCurdy. Despite her continued popularity on television, Grande continued to pursue her musical career, working diligently on her CD Truly Yours. Her hard work and persistence paid off as a year later she lent her vocals to a duet with boy band The Wanted and joined Justin Bieber on his Believer tour, kicking off her own headlining tour. That year the American Music Awards bestowed New Artist of the Year on Grande.This past year Grande’s success has skyrocketed with the release of her newest CD, My Everything, an invitation to sing at the White House concert, Women of Soul and the Breakthrough Artist of the Year award from the Music Business Association. She has had a #1 debut on the Billboard 200 and a top ten single on the Hot 100 list. Her single “Problem” won Best Pop Video at the 2014 MTV Video Music Awards. And as if her career couldn’t get any sweeter, Grande joined Adele as the only female artist with three top ten hits simultaneously by a lead artist.
