By Jessica Wedemeyer
5:46pm PDT, Jun 26, 2023
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Take a look back at how much Ariana Grande has transformed over the years — from a Nickelodeon child star into a pop music powerhouse — in honor of her 30th birthday on June 26, 2023, starting with this shot of the singer-actress looking practically unrecognizable early in her career…
In October 2008 — a month after she made her Broadway debut in the musical "13" — a baby-faced and curly-haired Ariana Grande attended a promotional event with her castmates at Planet Hollywood in New York City.
Keep reading to relive Ari's wild transformation….
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Her first ponytail on the red carpet?! In April 2010 — a month after "Victorious" debuted — Ariana Grande wore her hair in her signature 'do during the Tribeca Film Festival premiere of "Shrek Forever After" in New York City.
MORE: Ariana Grande's best fashion moments
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In August 2010 — the same month she started working on her first album — Ariana Grande went full glam while making her major award show debut at the 2010 Emmys in Los Angeles.
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In November 2011 — less a month before Ariana Grande dropped "Put Your Hearts Up," her debut single as a solo artist — she wore clip-in bangs to the Love Culture holiday launch party in Santa Monica, California.
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In September 2012 — a month after Ariana Grande said in an interview that "Victorious" was coming to an end — she attended the 2012 Creative Arts Emmy Awards in Los Angeles looking ultra-glam in a bold red halter-neck gown. The Nickelodeon sitcom was up for four awards that year.
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Ariana Grande let her hair breathe after she stopped shooting "Victorious." In March 2013 — a month after the finale aired — she wore her long locks in chocolatey waves at Nickelodeon's 26th Annual Kids Choice Awards in Los Angeles. But she wasn't away from Nickelodeon for long…
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In June 2013 — the same month her "Victorious" spinoff "Sam & Cat" debuted on Nickelodeon — Ariana Grande performed on "Late Night with Jimmy Fallon" in New York City with her long brunette locks in loose curls with some blonde highlights at the ends. It was a style she favored heavily around that time.
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We all know Ariana Grande loves an oversized sweatshirt! She was photographed wearing one in public for the first time in August 2013 — the same month she dropped her debut album, "Yours Truly" — while rehearsing for a concert in New York City.
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Winner, winner! In November 2013, Ariana Grande scored her first big win at a major award show: She was named best new artist at the 2013 American Music Awards in Los Angeles. She channeled Jessica Rabbit for the occasion in a curve-hugging strapless gown covered in red sequins.
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In August 2014 — the same month she dropped her sophomore album, "My Everything," and a month after "Sam & Cat" came to an end — Ariana Grande attended the 2014 Teen Choice Awards in Los Angeles in a white minidress and sky-high pumps with her hair pulled back in a high ponytail. Around this time, it became clear that the singer-actress had a signature 'do! For years, it was extremely rare to see her hair in any other style.
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Ariana Grande scored a huge career achievement in September 2014 when she performed on "Saturday Night Live" for the very first time. She donned black separates, sky-high pumps and cat ears for the occasion. Along with a high ponytail, animal-ear headbands became a part of her signature look around that time.
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Is it even a costume?! Ariana Grande returned to acting in late 2015 with a four-episode stint on "Scream Queens." But she didn't have to dig deep to bring her on-screen alter ego to life — at least not as far as her wardrobe was concerned, as this promotional photo for the FOX horror-comedy series proves.
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In August 2016 — a few months after she dropped her hit "Dangerous Woman" album — Ariana Grande debuted a surprising new 'do (bangs!) at NBCUniversal's TCA Summer Press Tour panel for "Hairspray Live!" in Beverly Hills.
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It's Ariana Grande like we've never seen her before! In December 2016, the singer-actress wore her hair in a retro style — a beehive with pigtails — for her role as Penny Pingleton in NBC's "Hairspray Live!"
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In March 2018 — a month before she dropped "No Tears Left to Cry," the lead single from her fourth album, "Sweetener" — Ariana Grande debuted a surprising new look at the March for Our Lives rally in Washington, D.C. The singer-actress dyed her hair platinum blonde! She also performed while wearing an oversized sweatshirt and over-the-knee boots — a style that became her signature look around that time.
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In December 2018 — a month after she dropped her first No. 1 single, "Thank U, Next," the lead single from her 2019 album of the same name, her fifth overall — Ariana Grande attended Billboard's 13th Annual Women in Music event in New York City with her signature red carpet style on full display. At the time, if she wasn't wearing a sweater as a dress — a look that was replicated countless times that Halloween — she usually donned minidresses with a bubble silhouette (like this strapless lilac number) with over-the-knee boots.
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In 2019, Ariana Grande won her first Grammy — best pop vocal album for "Sweetener" — but she wasn't there in person to pick up her golden gramophone trophy due to a dispute with the Recording Academy over her scheduled performance that year, which she ultimately canceled last minute. She made up for it the following year: After achieving a truly iconic red carpet fashion moment in a strapless Giambattista Valli Haute Couture gown — which she wore with matching opera gloves — she performed an epic medley of some of her biggest hits during the 2020 Grammys in Los Angeles.
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In August 2020 — two months before Ariana Grande dropped her sixth album, "Positions" — she teamed up with Lady Gaga for a killer performance of their hit single "Rain On Me" during the 2020 MTV Video Music Awards in New York City. (Ari won her second Grammy — best pop duo/group performance — the following year for her contributions to the dance track.) The singers coordinated in metallic purple separates, with Ariana — who wore her long locks in high pigtails — pairing a miniskirt and a matching cropped halter top with ripped black tights and white platform combat boots. One of her accessories especially stood out: The award show came during the early days of the coronavirus pandemic, so the superstar completed her look with a plain black face mask.
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In September 2021, Ariana Grande made her debut as a coach on season 21 of "The Voice." She really flexed her fashion muscles over the course of the season — though her passion for opera gloves was a recurring theme. On the season premiere, for example, she rocked a bold pink ensemble — a corset top with bellbottoms and those gloves we mentioned before — with a white straw cowboy hat and a long string of pearls. Sure, it had nothing to do with her duet of Aretha Franklin's "Respect" with fellow coach Kelly Clarkson, but hey, why not?!
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In December 2021 — for the first time in years — Ariana Grande appeared in a feature film: She portrayed a pop superstar named Riley Bina in Adam McKay's divisive black comedy "Don't Look Up." She and Kid Cudi, who played her on-screen love, teamed up to write and record the track "Just Look Up," which their characters perform in the film. Ariana donned a truly over-the-top couture gown and wore her hair in high braided pigtails to perform the song as Riley in the Netflix movie.
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In March 2023 — after keeping a low profile for the bulk of 2022 — Ariana Grande debuted a new look at a party in London in celebration of Michelle Yeoh's big win during the 2023 Oscars earlier in the month: The former child star dyed her hair a golden blonde shade for her role as Glinda in the upcoming big screen adaptation of the hit Broadway musical "Wicked."
