At this point, Ariana Grande is a household name and bonafide superstar, with one of the best voices in the industry and a personality so warm it almost seems wrong for a pop star. However, in 2014 many were still writing her off as another child actress trying to break into music.

Her 2013 debut 'Yours Truly' is a stellar, R&B album that teased her fun pop sensibilities and showcased her incredible vocal range that was immediately compared to the greats, from Mariah Carey to Christina Aguilera. The songs still hold up four years later and some of them areamong her best.

It was celebrated by critics and faired well on the charts but was somewhat overlooked by the public, although it served as the perfect introduction to set her up for its career-defining follow-up, 'My Everything'.

Second album campaigns come with the dreaded sophomore curse that can go one of two ways: if underwhelming, it deflates the hype built from a newcomer’s promising debut or, in this case, it cements the artist’s status as a force to be reckoned with.

Christina Aguilera proved she wasn’t an industry puppet with 'Stripped', Britney Spears shot down the ‘one-hit-wonder’ critics when she released 'Oops!', and Ariana Grande showed the world how to make excellent, exciting pop music without sacrificing a voice as extraordinary as hers.

So, how exactly did she start to dominate pop? One word: ‘Problem’.

Without being dramatic, Ariana’s career literally changed with the 11-second sax instrumental opening of ‘Problem’. We should also give credit to Iggy Azalea for the “It’s Iggy Iggz” ad-lib, the first of many earworms within the irresistibly catchy single.

The horn-heavy track was her boldest (and most uptempo) pop release yet, with every line sounding like a new hook thanks to the countless melodies her voice brings. The Big Sean whisper. The insane ad-libs throughout the final chorus. The themes of independence and female empowerment. It's gold.

‘Problem’ set the Ariana standard: meaningful, big pop with major R&B influences delivered with effortless, out-of-this-world vocals. And the world ate it up.

The lead single was her first UK number one single and peaked at number two in the U.S., where it’s now 9x platinum. The ‘60s-styled video - which birthed her signature high-ponytail and thigh-highslook - won the MTV VMA (her first!) for Best Pop Video.

It was the perfect campaign launch and kicked off one of the most immaculate single runs in pop history, followed by ‘Break Free’, ‘Love Me Harder’ and ‘One Last Time’. There was also a little song called ‘Bang Bang’ with Nicki Minaj and Jessie J in between, which just happened to become her second UK number one single despite being a bonus track on the deluxe edition.

Incredible.

Whether she was empowering the LGBTQ+ community with the Zedd-produced EDM banger ‘Break Free’ or duetting with The Weeknd on the truly gorgeous synth-pop song ‘Love Me Harder’, Ariana proved she could comfortably master any sound and made a mark with her musical versatility.

'My Everything' expertly blends its most tender moments - including the fantastic ‘Best Mistake’ and ‘Just a Little Bit of Your Heart’ - in amongst the bouncier and sassier bops, like the obvious highlight ‘Break Your Heart Right Back’.

I’d say it should have been a single but the same could be said for almost every song on the album, which really is bursting with potential hits. The consistent highs is the reason the album has been so successful; its replay value has made the album the most streamed album by a female artist 'EVER' on Spotify with over 2 BILLION streams.

Two Billion. With a capital B. Yes, I know. It’s mind-blowing.

Ariana made history several times with 'My Everything' (she is the second female lead artist to have three Top 10 singles on Billboard’s Hot 100 at once, for one) but what makes it such a special album is how timeless and universal the music is.

You don’t have to look any further than ‘One Last Time’ to prove its longevity, a song that re-emerged in the wake of the tragedy that occurred during Ariana’s Manchester concert in May this year. The song was quickly adopted by the public as a tribute to the victims of the bombing and has been a comfort to many ever since, evident by its recent chart success and the fact it’s still played daily on the radio.

In 2017 we are well aware of how incredible Ariana Grande - both the person and the pop star - is, and many of us have 'My Everything' to thank for giving us the music that made us fall in love with her in the first place.

Words: Ross McNeilage

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