One of the delightful performances this Oscar season came from ARIANA GRANDE in the Wizard of Oz prequel, Wicked. If you haven’t seen the movie, believe me, she’s a hoot as a young Glinda. Ariana already secured a spot in my music history book, MUSIC TITANS – 250 GREATEST RECORDING ARTISTS OF THE PAST 100 YEARS. Here is an excerpt from her entry—

It’s only been a single decade, but Ariana Grande’s musical footprint is already huge—among the 100 top-selling artists of all time, one of the most streamed and social-media-followed singers of her time, and a voice that has been compared to the greats.

            Born in Florida to two successful parents, from a young age she sang and did children’s theater, landing a Broadway role in 2008. From 2010 to 2014, she was a fixture on Nickelodeon as the slow-witted but sweet sitcom character Cat Valentine. Ariana released her first single in 2011, “Put Your Hands Up,” which she later described as “bubblegum pop” and not representative of what she hoped to do. Since 2013, she has released six studio albums, five reaching the top spot on pop charts, with the one that missed hitting #2.

            Her musical style has been described as R&B-flavored pop, though she has mixed in various dance, EDM, and hip-hop elements, as well, singing of the push-pull of relationships… self and female empowerment, material wealth, and moving on in the face of loss. It is Ariana’s voice, however, that has garnered most of the attention. With a four-octave range, the ability to reach the whistle or highest register, and wonderful control, she has been compared endlessly to Mariah Carey.

            Her most talked about songs include 2013’s “The Way,” a pop/hip-hop duet with troubled rapper Mac Miller; “One Last Time,” a love loss mid-tempo ballad that took on new meaning in 2017 after a bombing at her Manchester Arena concert that killed 22 people, as the song became a loving send off to the victims; “No Tears Left to Cry,” Ariana’s positivity response in the face of tragedy…and the giant “Thank U, Next,” which celebrates all that we can learn from past loves.

            She is only 30; we can only guess at what she will accomplish in a full career.

Suggested Songs:

One Last Time (2015)

No Tears Left to Cry (2018)

God Is a Woman (2018)

Thank U, Next (2019)

Thank you for your continued support of MUSIC TITANS, available everywhere online. I’m working on a new book; I’ll be saying more about that soon. Thanks.