I love Ariana Grande and have been a die hard fan since she was on the show “Victorious” as the infamous redhead Cat Valentine. It is safe to say I have grown up with her the past twelve years. I have seen her go through many relationships, life stages, etc. as the years progressed. Within her fandom, also known as “Arianators,” these stages are represented by her eras that are named after each of her six albums.
Grande was always immersed in the arts while she was younger, performing musicals at the Fort Lauderdale Children’s Theater and singing the national anthem at a Panther’s game at the age of eight. She was casted in the musical “13” as Charlotte before landing her infamous role as Cat on “Victorious.” Once the show ended in 2010, she decided it was time to focus on her music career, and her debut album “Yours Truly” was released in 2013. From there, she has released five more albums (“My Everything,” “Dangerous Woman,” “Sweetener,” “thank u, next” and “Positions” respectively) and has made a name for herself with her impeccable voice, tumultuous relationships and iconic fashion choices.
Without further ado, here is an honest and slightly biased ranking of Ariana Grande’s best eras:
6. My Everything Era
This album holds hits such as “Love Me Harder,” “Problem,” “Break Free” and “One Last Time.” I personally love most of the songs on this album, but it also does not compare to her newer albums in terms of sound and musicality.
Although it was a pivotal moment for Grande going from being on Nickelodeon to making risqué songs that include sexual innuendos, she was still known for wearing cat ears, mini skirts and her half up half down ponytail. This was also the time she had her infamous relationship with Big Sean and then with her backup dancer Ricky Alvarez. She also licked a donut and said she “hated America.”
5. Dangerous Woman Era
This era can be seen as an iconic one for Grande, as this is when she started making the most impact fashion and music wise. With hits such as “Dangerous Woman,” “Side to Side” and “Into You,” we get more of a glimpse of her risque side and see her experimenting with styles to find her voice.
During this time, Grande was in her notorious relationship with the late rapper Mac Miller, and their relationship took the entire internet by storm (I am personally a really big fan of the pair). During this era, the Manchester Bombing occurred at her concert, something we see has made an impact on her and her music. Musically, this album didn’t seem true to her as an artist and seemed to be something she released to fit the radio pop sound.
4. Yours Truly Era
In her first album as a solo artist, the only single that made it to radio was “The Way” with Mac Miller. Although no other songs made it as singles, she did make music videos for “Baby I,” “Right There,” “Almost is Never Enough” and “Popular Song.” Grande really channels 90’s R&B throughout the album, and it is a sound we hear follows her throughout other albums.
Not much of her personal life is displayed during this time as she was not receiving all the attention/publicity she does now. However, I wish this album got a lot more attention than it has as this sound seems most true to Grande. Her songs were more innocent during this time, but it’s a breath of fresh air from all of Grande’s sexual innuendos.
3. Thank U, Next Era
“Thank U, Next” has to be one of the most heartbreaking yet beautiful albums ever released. It holds hits such as “Thank U, Next,” “Imagine,” “7 Rings” and “break up with your girlfriend, I’m bored.” This album is what made Ariana Grande’s fan base explode and made her an icon. Her personal life was extremely rocky with the death of her ex-boyfriend Mac Miller and her broken engagement with Pete Davidson. Musically, she is extremely vulnerable throughout the album while also making sure she holds onto pieces of herself she isn’t ready to share. With this album, you can see her grow into loving who she is as a person and who she surrounds herself with.
2. Positions Era
The most unexpected album of them all turned out to be one of the best. Grande documents her journey of being scared to fall in love again to finally finding someone who makes her feel as though she can be happy. This album’s singles include “positions,” “34+35,” “pov” and “motive.”
In her personal life, she started a relationship with luxury real estate agent Dalton Gomez that she decides to keep private (which is understandable considering her past relationship trauma). She seems to be the happiest she’s ever been and has even been doing other ventures, such as her makeup brand REM Beauty, the Netflix movie “Just Look Up,” judging “The Voice” for a season and her upcoming role as Glinda in the “Wicked” movie. This album tests different genres such as R&B, musical theater, pop, etc. and gives you a light and airy feeling, like you are in love along with Grande.
1. Sweetener Era
This has to be Grande’s best due to the fact this album is where we noticed she truly discovered her voice and sound as an artist. “Sweetener” was released after she took a two year hiatus following the Manchester Bombing. During this time, Mac and Ariana broke up and shortly after their breakup, she started her whirlwind romance with Pete Davidson. We can see the breakup/new romance portrayed on the album with tracks like “better off” and “pete davidson.”
Musicality on this album is phenomenal, and the best way to describe it is you’ll feel like you’re floating on cloud nine. The songs are light and have so much love underlying them that it’s hard to not feel good after listening to it. We also get some of the most iconic music videos that showcase her individuality as a person.
She opens this era in the best way possible by releasing the first single “no tears left to cry,” which shows us her new, transformed mentality after going through such a tragic experience. The next singles to be released were “the light is coming,” “God is a woman” and “breathin.” The album speaks on issues people might face, such as anxiety and trauma, and reminds us it’s possible to heal/get better. She gives us this album as a way to heal, and she seems to be doing it along with us.