Ariana Grande Turns 33: Ten lesser-known facts about the pop star
To mark Ariana Grande’s 33rd birthday, the article looks back at 10 lesser-known facts about the singer, actress and global pop star, whose career has included record-breaking success, major public tragedies and high-profile controversies.
Grande first became famous as a Nickelodeon actress, playing Cat Valentine in "Victorious" and "Sam & Cat," even though she always wanted to focus on music. She has said, "Music was always my first love." Her career was also shaped by the May 2017 Manchester bombing, when a suicide attacker detonated an explosive device outside her concert, killing 22 people and injuring dozens. She canceled her tour, then returned to Manchester weeks later for the benefit concert "One Love Manchester," which raised millions of dollars for victims.
The article notes that Grande has broken dozens of Guinness World Records, including for the most songs to surpass 1 billion streams on Spotify and the most entries at the top of the charts. She is also known for a four-octave vocal range, often compared with Mariah Carey, and for precise impersonations of singers including Celine Dion, Whitney Houston, Britney Spears, Rihanna and Shakira.
Beyond music, Grande had long been a devoted fan of "Wicked" and said landing the role of Glinda in the film adaptation fulfilled a childhood dream. She also loves horror, says every day could be Halloween, and as a child even dreamed of becoming a movie monster. She has adopted many dogs, mostly from rescues, and prefers adoption to buying pets.
The profile adds that although she spent years playing Cat Valentine, she is actually allergic to cats, as well as bananas and seafood. It also says the 2018 death of rapper Mac Miller, her former partner for about two years, deeply affected her and shaped later albums including "Sweetener" and "Thank U, Next." Finally, it mentions criticism from Israeli users over her pro-Palestinian likes and shares, and reports that her emergency fund donated to an aid group working in Gaza, whose thank-you message said, "Only ending the occupation can protect the children of Gaza."
