You might know Ariana Grande from her collaboration with Iggy Azalea on Problem, which made history as the first UK number one based on sales as well as streaming, and was contender for song of the summer this year. You might also have caught yourself singing along to Break Your Heart Right Back – the song inspired by a real-life scenario in which a boy cheats on a girl with another boy.
‘It’s really funny because I believe it has happened to me. I’m not 100 per cent positive but I’m 99.9 percent positive,’ she’s said of the tune, stopping short of confirming whether the guy in question might be her ex, Nathan Sykes from The Wanted.
But while we’re just discovering the doe-eyed teen – who manages to sell herself to women who should know better than to fall for a former teen TV star – Ariana’s been in the spotlight for… well, quite literally, years. She spent the best part of the noughties playing the role of kooky redhead Cat Valentine in Nickelodeon’s hit show V_ictorious_, the show that made her a household name in the US.
Since then, Ariana and her stylists have worked hard to move her style away from teen star to full-on pop princess. Girly, colourful and glitzy, the starlet’s funky dress sense and cute Italian looks have won her a legion of fans, setting up Tumblrs in homage to her. Not that Ariana realises that. Here she tells The Debrief that she’s still finding her feet style-wise…
How would you describe your style?
On stage I love a very 60s go-go kinda look. And in my personal life, I like to wear jeans and heels and keep it kinda casual.
**What’s your favourite outfit ******ever you’ve worn and why?
I think it would have to be what I worn to the Billboard Music Awards. I loved that black and white shiny shift dress!
What do you look for in an outfit?
Just whatever makes me feel good, really. I like short dresses and I love jeans and heels!
Who influences the way you dress?
I like a lot of those older artists from the 50s and 60s. I’m super influenced by that, especially Ann Margaret, Nancy Sinatra and Marilyn Monroe. When I was younger, I used to dress like Audrey Hepburn all the time, but that got a little boring.
Do you take style advice from boyfriends?
I mean sure, I would take style advice from anybody who I trust and who has my love, of course.
Your hair’s amazing. What tips can you give to girls who want to emulate that glossy glow?
Take care of your hair! My advice would be to not bleach your hair too much. I had to bleach it red for a TV show for a very long time and that really affected my hair – to this day it still suffers. The girl who does my hair has restored it back to health, but other than that it’s a waiting game. It’s not fun and it’s not worth it, girls.
How much planning goes into your stage outfits? Do you feel a pressure to make them even more elaborate, as people like Miley put out giant-size dogs on stage?
No, I don’t feel pressure to compete with it. I just feel like everybody does their own thing and it works for them. I feel like people are compared too much in this industry. The whole point of being an artist is being yourself and doing YOU. I’m not trying to do anyone else.
You’ve been in the spotlight since you were 10. Do you look back at what you wore when you were younger and cringe?
Sure. I look back at the things I wore yesterday and cringe! I’m not used to the whole red carpet thing yet, but I’ll get there... I’ll get used to it.
Do you ever feel a responsibility to your younger fans to dress in a respectful way? Would you ever do a Rihanna and wear something like that CFDA dress?
I’m just making sure that what I put out there is genuine. I feel like I want be a good role model by showing everyone it’s OK to be yourself. You know what I mean? I don’t care if I decided to wear a thong bikini, it would be in that moment that’s what I wanted to wear and that’s what I decided and I’m not apologising for it. I think that I have to be true to myself.
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This article originally appeared on The Debrief.