20 Things About Ariana Grande That Fans Should Know In 2018

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There's a lot about Ariana Grande that we already know. The 2018 release of Ariana's Sweetener album broke records with a staggering 126 million on-demand audio streams in its opening week alone. It also has the most official #1s for any album released in 2018. This isn't Ariana Grande year for the music alone, though. That pint-sized ponytail is making waves wherever it goes, from the over-the-knee boots Ariana wears, to that $93,000 engagement ring. Something about this 25-year-old just draws attention. Considering that there are two types of attention (and one of them isn't great), you could say that Ariana is doing well.

"I'm still crying" was Ariana's Instagram caption just last week as Sweetener continued to break records. Fans have already broken down that "Better Off" was written while Ariana was still dating Mac Miller. That's all history, though. In 2018, Ariana announced her engagement to Pete Davidson after just 24 days. With her relationship continuing to make headlines, her music continuing to make sales, and 126 million Instagram followers, it's now worth taking a closer look at Ariana. We see the pastel pinks, lavender blues, slouchy sweatshirts, and bubblegum packaging. For a star who is big enough to wear her own merch and totally pull it off, what's the real deal with Ariana? Here are 20 Ariana Grande facts that fans should know in 2018.

ARIANA PREDICTED MARRYING PETE THREE YEARS AGO

2018 has thrown us more engagements than we can handle. Justin Bieber and Hailey Baldwin are engaged. So are Nick Jonas and Priyanka Chopra. Everyone still wants to know how the whole Ariana and Pete Davidson engagement happened so quickly. Pete is all over Ariana's Instagram. Ariana added a "Pete Davidson" song to Sweetener. Appearing on The Tonight Show With Jimmy Fallon, Ariana admitted that she "jokingly" told her tour manager that she had a huge crush on Pete after meeting him 3 years ago. Despite "not being a crushy person," Ariana remembered her words: "I'm marrying him 100%. I was like: I'm literally marrying him."

THE RECORD BREAKER WITH ZERO MUSICAL TRAINING

With her four-octave range and sugary whistle register, it's hard to believe that Ariana was turned down from her school choir. By the age of 13, Ariana already knew that she wanted a career in music. She has no official training. In an interview with Vogue, Ariana revealed that she "played French horn for a few years, that's where I learned a lot about sheet music and theory." Ariana added that: "I play a little bit of piano by ear." She also listened to Destiny's Child and Whitney Houston "all the time" while growing up.

"Music just kind of happened, I never really trained for anything," she once said.

THE VEGAN WHO WANTS ANIMALS HAPPY

Ariana is all about making the world a better place – we all need a little "Sweetener" in our lives. Ariana adores animals and she is a vegan. In 2015, Ariana took to Twitter to announce her decision to become 100% vegan. "I love animals more than I love most people, not kidding," she told The Mirror. "I am a firm believer in eating a full plant-based, whole food diet that can expand your life length and make you an all-round happier person." This echoed her Vogue interview, where she said: "I used to love Sea World. I thought the animals were safe and happy."

THERE IS ARIANA WITH MAKEUP (AND WITHOUT)

For an A-list pop star, Ariana isn't the most made up – but then again, she isn't the least made up either. Ariana's cat-wing eyeliner and glossy sparkled contouring generally show us a more polished face than this rare shot. In February 2018, Ariana was papped ducking the cameras in Los Angeles. She was 100% makeup-free and her hair was scrunched up into a bun. For many fans, seeing Ariana in her natural way was a refreshing welcome. With so much social media editing and those $500-an-hour makeup artists that the Kardashians have on speed-dial, seeing an icon without the warpaint is becoming more popular by the day.

SHE HAS THE LEAST POPULAR BIRTHDAY PARTIES

And she told this guy all about it. James Corden has been the face of the Youtube sensation, Carpool Karaoke for a while now. The show's radio has a "magic knack" for playing the exact song that the artist is famous for, and it's a great chance for us to see them jamming out to their own music. Chatting between tracks, Ariana told James that her favorite movie as a 2 year-old was Jaws – she actually had a Jaws-themed party. "Nobody came," Ariana said. "They came and left." Ariana may have had the least popular parties as a kid, but being on her guest list is now most peoples' dream.

SHE SHARED HER BIGGEST WORRIES

Ariana's anxieties are somewhat adorable when you compare them to other those of celebrities. Kim Kardashian has famously been quoted as saying: "Stretch marks are, like, my biggest fear of life." Way back in 2010, a fan tweeted to Ariana regarding what is she scared of. Ariana replied, "I'm scared of the dark, and of people being mean to me. My biggest fear is being disliked."

Just to show how much this girl is loved, one of the replies was: "but 5.2 million people love you." Fast forward eight years, and those 5.2 million are now 126 million on Instagram and 52.7 million on Twitter. The dark was pretty cute, though.

SWEETENER HAS A 40-SECOND MEMORIAL SILENCE

This one is really moving. 2018 may be bringing Ariana more success than she could ever have wished for, but 2017 isn't forgotten. On May 2017, an incident during Ariana's Manchester concert shook the world. For Ariana, returning to the venue two weeks later to hold One Love Manchester wasn't enough. Ariana wanted to reach out to everybody affected and add some hope and respect. "Get Well Soon" was dedicated to the victims, but there's more. The song is 5 minutes and 22 seconds long. 40 seconds of silence at the end make the total length the same as the incident's date: 5/22.

HER HAIR IS NATURALLY CURLY AND ALMOST BLACK

You could say that 2018 is the year of "Ariana style." Other celebs may be copying the look, but Ariana invented it. Ariana's signature over-the-knee boots and slouchy sweaters got a new addition in 2018 – platinum blonde hair (that is inching its way towards lavender). The sleek-blonde look is all over the front of Ariana's Sweetener album, but it's the farthest thing from her natural color. In 2015, Ariana posted a series of selfies to Instagram, and fans learned that Ariana's hair is naturally curly with waves. It's also not far off black. We've seen Ariana rock various shades of honey or caramel brown, but they aren't her real color.

HERE IS WHAT ARIANA EATS IN A DAY

You might think that a strict vegan only nibbles on carrot sticks, but there's a lot out there that is vegan-friendly. In 2016, Ariana's personal trainer shared the star's diet and fitness routine with Look. "She loves daikon, lotus, adzuki beans– almost a macrobiotic Japanese diet," Harley Pasternak told the magazine. In 2018, a vlogger for The Daily Mail copied Ariana's diet. She had oatmeal and smoothies for breakfast, raw kale salads and stir-fries, plus protein bars. Ariana prefers almond milk as her non-dairy milk option.

"She snacks on TONS of blueberries." Sushi and watermelon are among Ariana's favorite foods.

HERE IS WHAT ARIANA EARNS IN A DAY

In 2018, Cosmopolitan broke down Ariana's millions, which are a far cry from the $9000 per episode Ariana was earning from Victorious. Ariana's Dangerous Woman tour grossed $71 million in just seven months. The most interesting fact: Ariana earns an estimated $50,000 per day from her merchandise alone. All those sweatshirts with her upside-down head are earning Ariana more per day than most people earn in a year. Ariana has also earned $29.5 million from singles downloads. Then there are the millions that Ariana makes from her Reebok contract – no figure is available, but Gal Gadot is said to be earning $10 million from her contract.

SHE WROTE "BETTER OFF" WHILE DATING MAC MILLER

Part of being a mega-famous artist is having everything about you broken down into microscopic detail. Fans have been breaking down every single line of Ariana's Sweetener lyrics, and they've reached some interesting conclusions. Seventeen joined in and noticed something interesting about the track "Better Off." The lyrics say: "I'm better off without him, I'm better off being a wild one." These were words written while Ariana was still in her 2-year relationship with the rapper, Mac Miller. A Twitter fan asked Ariana if the song had been cut from the album, then reinstated. Ariana replied: "I was nervous about...like it coming true."

ARIANA HAS BEEN IN THERAPY FOR TEN YEARS

Being the most famous face on the planet might make you rich, but you're still human. Ariana isn't the first celebrity to have suffered from anxiety – Selena Gomez took 90 days out to deal with anxiety in 2017. In 2018, Ariana gave a rare interview to Self, where she opened up about what her anxiety feels like. "When I got home from tour, I had really wild dizzy spells, this feeling like I couldn't breathe," Ariana said. She added that the anxiety attacks would "hit me out of nowhere." Ariana concluded by adding that she has been in therapy for over a decade. "It's work," she said.

THE PONYTAIL WAS LOWERED 45 DEGREES FOR SWEETENER

If you haven't seen Ariana Grande's Sweetener cover, you must be living under a rock. Arguably the most iconic and eye-catching album cover we've seen in years, this is a music release that gives us as much to look at as it does to listen to. Ariana's face is upside down, her hair is blonde, and there's more. That high ponytail has had a bit of a shift. According to The Fader, Ariana's signature high ponytail was lowered by 45 degrees for Sweetener. After fans begged for a new style in 2014, Ariana explained in a Facebook note that it's the only look she is "comfortable" wearing.

"The pony has been through an evolution."

SHE LOVES VICTORIA'S SECRET

Ariana is into anything and everything girly. Her favorite colors are periwinkle blue, marshmallow white, sea foam green, and pale pink. When your merch alone earns you $50,000 a day, you can afford to shop. Ariana has been spotted in a fair few designer items of late, including Louis Vuitton and Gucci. Her Sweetener album drops one specific brand, though. The song "Successful" has the following line: "What about La Perla? Let Vickie keep her secret." That's definitely a clever play on Victoria's Secret. The lyrics analysis site, Genius has concluded that the lyrics are a direct reference to Ariana's love of the two lingerie brands.

SHE SINGS CHRISTINA AGUILERA IN THE SHOWER

Most of us sing in the shower. Why? We just do. Ariana is no different. When Teen interviewed Ariana with 21 quick-fire questions, they asked her what her favorite song is to sing in the shower. Bad question. The question should have been: "What are your favorite songs?" Plural. Using her hands to make her point in the video, Ariana said: "I have a very long shower playlist." The first track she listed was "Carwash" by Christina Aguilera. Then "All I Want For Christmas Is You" by Mariah Carey. She paused before adding another Christina song: "Lady Marmalade." Ironically, most of us are probably singing Ariana songs in our own showers.

HER STARBUCKS ORDER STILL "GETS THEM EVERY TIME"

A part of us is still wondering if the marketing executives over at Starbucks want to sign Ariana to the brand. It looks like they don't need to, though. Ariana has a great sense of humor about her last name – anyone who has ever been to Starbucks will know that a "Grande" is a medium-sized drink. Just this month, Ariana appeared on Carpool Karaoke with James Corden. James surprised Ariana by taking her into a Los Angeles Starbucks. There was a definite build-up, but when the barista asked Ariana what size she wanted, she exclaimed: "I'm gonna get a grande!" Everyone started laughing. "Gets them every time!" Ariana said.

SHE IS A SERIOUS NERD IN THE STUDIO

Don't think that Ariana just swans into the studio, briefly sings for 15 minutes, then walks out a record-breaking artist. Ariana is a hands-on musician. In an interview with Teen, Ariana revealed her nerdy side. Alongside admitting being a "huge techno junkie," Ariana said that she loves Logic. Her favorite way to mix up a sound in the studio is to use a Boss looping station RC50. This technology is meant for guitars, but Ariana plugs her microphone in and uses her voice instead. Not many people know about that one.

"I'm a huge techno junkie. I love, like, editing music."

SHE HAND-WRITES COFFEE CUPS FOR FANS

Ariana isn't one to ignore her fans – just watch her recent interview. Ariana physically broke down into tears when talking about the devastating incident at her 2017 concert. Ariana's mind is always on her fans, and she has the cutest way of showing it. In 2014, Ariana faced a huge crowd after she performed at the Victoria's Secret show. Seeing that her fans were out in the cold, Ariana bought everyone hot chocolate and cookies. She signed the cups individually with sweet notes. For her 2017 tribute concert, One Love Manchester, Ariana donated the proceeds of all 55,000 tickets to the Manchester Relief Fund.

THE 25 TATTOOS THAT AREN'T VISIBLE

Ariana has made a lot of headlines with her tattoos. But not for having big ones. Just recently, Ariana showcased her latest anime tattoo. Not that long ago, Pete was making headlines for getting an Ariana-inspired inking. Here is Ariana at the 2018 Met Gala. The Sistine Chapel angel-inspired dress caught everyone's attention, but no tattoos were visible. Ariana goes for tiny tats, like her crescent moon ear tattoo. Ariana also has a "Honeymoon" tattoo on her finger, alongside a Hebrew phrase on her right ring finger. In 2018, Ariana added a lightning bolt behind her right ear.

Ariana has a total 25 tattoos. They're barely visible, though.

THE 25 YEARS THAT ARE ALREADY LEGENDARY

"God really is a woman." That was the comment from Ariana's makeup artist on her recent Instagram post. At only 25, Ariana Grande has broken global Spotify streaming records. She is set to be the biggest artist of 2019. There's a power of a woman in those pint-sized 5 feet, and she's already a legend. We truly wish her all the best and we can't wait to see what the future brings for her.

Hit share on Facebook for anyone who needs a little "Sweetener" in their life. If you know anyone who adores Ariana (or needs to learn a thing or two about her), make sure that they see it.