Her Campus Logo Her Campus Logo
This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at UCD chapter.

When I first met Ariana Grande, she was the whimsy, red-headed Cat Valentine on Nickelodeon’s Victorious. I didn’t think too much of her, as the spotlight was often focused on her co-star Victoria Justice; however, what I did notice was that she had a quirky personality and her vocals on the show were stellar.

Ariana Grande’s first album, Yours Truly, was released in 2013 and showed the world what the girl with the amazing voice was all about. Her sound consisted of R&B and pop, with influences from the legendary Whitney Houston, Amy Winehouse, Mariah Carey, and Christina Aguilera to name a few. 

Image source: Pixabay

Since then, Ariana has made a profound mark on the music industry; her fantastic vocals combined with her unique sound has made her one of the most notable artists of all time. In addition, she has collaborated with several other fantastic artists of our time, including Mac Miller, John Legend, Nicki Minaj, and more. Since her debut album, she has dropped three more amazing albums: My EverythingDangerous Woman, and the brand new Sweetener.

But Ariana’s music is not the only thing that makes her one of today’s most influential female celebrities. It is her strength, her grace, and her ability to bounce back from several traumatic experiences that have occurred in a short time period. 

From a bombing at her Manchester concert, to the death of her former boyfriend, and to a failed engagement, Ariana Grande has shown us that pain only makes us stronger if we allow ourselves to get back up on our feet and learn from it. 

By now, you’ve probably heard of Ariana Grande’s latest single, “thank u, next”. The song has taken the media by storm and has topped the charts in a short amount of time since its release. Ariana has received praise from virtually everyone in the world for it, and for good reason too. In the song, Ariana thanks her past boyfriends for everything that they taught her and sings about how she has grown as a person as a result of her relationships. She reflects on how she continues to improve herself as a person every day and how grateful she is for her past experiences.

Image source: Anna M. Weber

Ariana Grande is a wonderful role model for everyone — she teaches us that we can get through even life’s most traumatic and painful experiences as long as we allow ourselves to find the positive in those experiences. And for that I say, thank u, ariana. 

Rose is a second-year Communication major at the University of California, Davis. She loves Harry Potter, Disneyland, and spends most of her time either binge-watching Netflix shows or napping. After graduating, she hopes to work in the Public Relations or Advertising field.
This is the UCD Contributor page from University of California, Davis!