Pop Artist Research: Ariana Grande

Ariana Grande 

Ariana Grande is an American singer and actress aged 21. She rose to fame in 2009, playing Cat Valentine in Nickelodeon’s Victorious.  She also starred in a spin-off sitcom with iCarly’s Jennette McCurdy; Sam & Cat from 2012 to 2014. While enjoying acting, she has stated that “music has always been first and foremost with me”. Grande collaborated with Mika on his Popular Song, which is based on Popular from the musical Wicked. Her debut album Yours Truly was released in 2013 and her second album My Everything was released in August.

 

Grande’s fan base is mostly comprised of young girls, most of whom watched her Nickelodeon shows. Unlike similar teen idols, Grande’s public image is considered appropriate for her fans. Instead, she receives attention for her music rather than her sexuality. While she often wears crop tops and miniskirts on stage, this is much less provocative than many analogous artists (such as Miley Cyrus), whom tend to wear much less clothing. Furthermore Grande’s signature go-go boots are knee high, and considerably reduce the amount of skin she is actually showing. This look establishes her as a suitable role model, and infers that she has a correspondingly sweet personality.

Part of Grande’s signature look is her famous ponytail. Across social media platforms, users criticised her for never changing her look. This led Grande to explain her reasoning on her Instagram profile. During her portrayal of Cat Valentine, the director asked her to dye her hair red so that not all of the female characters were brunettes. So for four years Grande had to bleach and dye her hair every two weeks, which “completely destroyed” it. The ponytail also makes her hair extensions look more natural; this long hair gives Grande a princess-like appearance, fitting with her sweet public image.

Grande is an avid user of social media, using it as a way to communicate with fans. She is well known for her ‘selfies’, and for constantly expressing her gratitude to her fans. By communicating with her fans, Ariana creates a sense of familiarity with them and reinforces her friendly public image. Her selfies and informal language are typical of teenage girls; her fan base. This makes her appear relatable and attracts her target audience. Her diehard fans are often referred to as Arianators.