It
was her turn as the sweet and bubbly Cat Valentine on television that
first made Ariana Grande a star. But with a voice as big as her pretty,
dimpled smile, the Florida native was destined to also pursue a career
in her first love: music. Born in 1993, the singer-actress cut her teeth
as a teen in a Broadway production of ’13.’ Her TV career took off in
2010 on Nickelodeon’s ‘Victorious’ and its successful spinoff ‘Sam &
Cat.’ Her powerful, four-octave vocal range has often led to her being
called the “New Mariah Carey,” but with her debut studio album, 2013’s
pop-and-R&B-influenced ‘Yours Truly,’ she proved she was much more
than just a mini Mimi. The album entered the charts at No. 1, and lead
single ‘The Way’ featuring Mac Miller became her first double-platinum
Top 10 hit.
