Wicked’s Ariana Grande has cycled through several styles since her Nickelodeon days as she’s grown from rising pop star to Grammy winning artist to theatre darling.
The God is a Woman hitmaker rose to fame in the Nickelodeon series Victorious, where she played the endearing, and mega-talented singer Cat Valentine.
She reprised the fan-favourite character in the spin-off series Sam and Cat which ran between 2013 and 2014.
At the same time she pivoted her efforts to the music industry and used her vocal talents to launch her hit debut album, Yours Truly, which peaked in the top 10.
The album featured tunes such as The Way ft Mac Miller and, aptly her cover Wicked song Popular with Mika – an early sign of her love for the Broadway musical.
The pop music debut marked a transition as she stepped away from Cat’s typical teen clothing and red hair to embody her own style as pop singer Ariana Grande (although her natural hair remains
The half-up half-down to Ombre pony
A decade ago, the half-up half-down look was all the rage and Ariana fully embraced it.
She was most commonly seen out and about with her long brown hair, parted to the side, in perfect curls as it cascaded down her shoulders, with a prominent portion tied in a bobble.
Her go-to outfit tended to be short, prettily patterned dresses (regularly with a floral design) paired with a classy heel.
From 2014 to 2016, Ariana dropped her next two albums and we saw the leap from half-up half-down to full ponytail princess. Her songs took on a bolder sound, releasing provocative bangers such as Problem, Side By Side and Into You.
Her hair was razor straight, and she had a blonde Ombre – at some points even sporting a full-frontal fringe that framed her face.
Her fashion also evolved with a stylish selection of crop top and trousers as she promoted her new era. Long gone was the the preppy Nickelodeon teen, hello global pop star Ariana.
Thank u, next
Much in the spirit of her surprise album – 2019’s thank, u next marked a fresh new phase for Ariana as she processed the hardship of recent years marked by the Manchester arena bombing and the death of her ex-boyfriend Mac Miller.
In an interview with Vogue the now Grammy-winning artist reflected that in public she sees herself as playing ‘exaggerated version of myself’ because it ‘protects’ her.
She added: ‘The music is very personal and very real, but yes, if you can be me for Halloween, if drag queens can dress up as me, then I’m a character. Go to your local drag bar, and you’ll see it. That’s, like, the best thing that’s ever happened to me.’
This is the era of slick-back ponytail, dirty blonde dyed hair and perfectly winged eyeliner.
And she showed off an astonishing array of outfits and versatile dresses which have gone down in fashion history such as her jaw-dropping grey tulle gown.
The dream job
Throughout her time as a child actor and pop icon, Ariana has always stayed true to her roots as a theatre star – where she started her career several years ago.
At the end of 2022, the makeup brand creator shocked the world when she debuted her completely blonde transformation in preparation for her dream role, Glinda the Good Witch.
She will star opposite Cynthia Erivo as Elphaba in the epic screen adaptation of the beloved musical.
The new hair is striking, although she has largely kept her ponytail aesthetic as a form of familiarity. But she is a far cry from the budding artist of yesteryear.
She’s still wowing with impressive, larger-than-life dresses, although more often than not she’ll be wearing pink to reflect her character and her bright personality.
But for an artist who has dreamed of playing Glinda all her life, it seems like a pretty sweet gig.
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