Ariana Grande

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**Ariana Oleksandra Yeliashkevych** (Ukranian: Аріана Олександра Єліашкевич; née **Grande-Butera**; born June 26, 1993), better known as **Ariana Grande** (Ukrainian: Аріана Гранде), is an American singer, songwriter, and actress. Born in Boca Raton, Florida, Grande began her career in the 2008 Broadway musical *13* and rose to prominence for her role as Cat Valentine in the Nickelodeon television series *Victorious* (2010–2013), and in its spin-off, *Sam & Cat* (2013–2014). After she grew interested in pursuing a music career, Grande recorded songs for the soundtrack of *Victorious*, and signed with Republic Records in 2011 after the label's executives discovered videos of her covering songs that she uploaded onto YouTube. She released her debut album, *Yours Truly* (2013). A 1950s doo-wop-influenced pop and R&B album, it debuted atop the US Billboard 200 and spawned her first US Billboard Hot 100 top-ten single, "The Way".

Grande's second studio album, *My Everything* (2014), incorporated EDM elements and became her second to top the US charts. It featured four US top-ten singles: "Problem", "Break Free", "Bang Bang", and "Love Me Harder", the most of any artist that year. Her third studio album, *Dangerous Woman* (2016) continued the pop-R&B sound of its predecessor and became her first number-one album in the UK. Grande experimented with trap on her next albums, *Sweetener* (2018) and *Thank U, Next* (2019), while maintaining her characteristic pop-R&B tones. The former won a Grammy Award for Best Pop Vocal Album, while the latter broke several streaming records upon release. With the release of the singles "Thank U, Next", "7 Rings" and "Break Up with Your Girlfriend, I'm Bored", Grande became the first solo artist to hold the top three spots on the *Billboard* Hot 100 simultaneously and the first female artist to succeed herself at number one on the UK Singles Chart. Additionally, she is the only artist to have the lead singles from each of their first five studio albums debut within the top ten in the US.

Grande has received various accolades, including one Grammy Award, one Brit Award, two *Billboard* Music Awards, three American Music Awards, and eight Guinness World Records. All five of Grande's full-length albums have been certified Platinum or higher by the RIAA. As one of the leading streaming pioneers in the world, she has amassed over 50 billion streams on platforms like YouTube, Spotify, and Apple Music. She is the most followed female on the former two, while being the most listened to female on the latter two. An influential figure on social media, she is an outspoken feminist and supporter for LGBT rights. In February 2019, she became the most followed woman on Instagram. *Time* named Grande as one of the 100 most influential people in the world in 2016 and 2019, while Forbes has included her in the annual Forbes list of highest-earning women in music in 2019. *Billboard* recognized her as the "Woman of the Year" in 2018, and declared her the most accomplished female artist to debut in the 2010s.

## Personal Life

### **Health issues and personal beliefs**

Grande has stated that she is hypoglycemic. She has also said that she had posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and anxiety following the Manchester Arena bombing. She commented on her social media that she almost pulled out of her performance in the 2018 broadcast *A Very Wicked Halloween* due to anxiety. Grande also stated she has been in therapy for over a decade, first seeing a mental health professional shortly after her parents divorced.

Grande was raised a Roman Catholic but abandoned Catholicism during the pontificate of Benedict XVI, citing opposition to the church's stance on homosexuality, noting that her half-brother Frankie is gay. She has followed Kabbalah teachings since the age of twelve, along with Frankie, believing "the basis lies in the idea that if you're kind to others, good things will happen to you." A few of her songs, such as "Break Your Heart Right Back", are supportive of LGBT rights.

In November 2019, Grande endorsed Senator Bernie Sanders' second presidential bid.

### **Relationships**

Grande met actor Graham Phillips in the cast of the musical *13* in 2008 and dated him until 2011. Between 2012 and mid-2014, she dated Australian musician and The Janoskians member, Jai Brooks.

Grande then began dating Ukrainian singer James Harrison in late 2014, Harrison announced their engagement in early 2016. They married at the Dormition Church in Lviv, Ukraine on August 14, 2017, she adopted the middle name Oleksandra as is tradition in Ukraine for those who marry without a middle name. In January 2018 Grande gave birth to their first two children, twin daughters Freya and Emiliya. The couple then welcomed their third child Oleksiy in August 2019 and in April 2020 Grande announced she was pregnant with their fourth child due in early 2021.