Ariana Grande has had a whirlwind of a year. Ever since the Manchester Arena bombing on May 22, 2017, during her Dangerous Woman world tour, Ariana has been trying to recover from the traumatizing event. On top of that, she broke up with Mac Miller who she dated for two years. Then she was engaged overnight to comedian Pete Davidson for a minute before breaking it off with him. Through it all, Ariana has kept her head held high and her ponytail swinging, taking the hits as they come. She has made her comeback to the world fiercer and more independent than ever.
From December 2017 to March 2018 Ariana ghosted social media and totally backed out of the spotlight. She stopped posting to her Instagram account and didn’t show up to the 2018 Grammy Awards. In March 2018, the blossoming activist came back for the March for Our Lives rally in Washington D.C.. The demonstration was in support of stronger gun violence prevention measures organized by the Parkland school shooting survivors. Ariana sang “Be Alright” and joined big names like Lady Gaga, Miley Cyrus, Demi Lovato, and Kim Kardashian.
After her 5 month long hiatus from social media, Ariana tweeted a single teardrop emoji and then performed her hit new single “No Tears Left to Cry” at Coachella. Variety called the song the “breeziest, most danceable kind of post-traumatic recovery anthem.”
After breaking up from boyfriend Mac Miller in May 2018 calling the relationship “toxic” she began an intense relationship with Pete Davidson. Just one month into dating the duo announced their engagement. Even more shocking was their Instagram flirting, new tattoos, and over the top public displays of affection. Then on September 7, 2018, Mac Miller overdosed and passed away. Shortly after she broke it off with Pete Davidson marking a new era for the singer.
Ariana Grande is now the first woman ever to have three albums each hit 2 billion streams on Spotify- thank u, next, Sweetener, and Dangerous Woman. Her music over the past couple of months has been straight fire, showcasing her immense talent, independence, grace, and resilience. She’s broken all sorts of records, including YouTube records in December for thank u, next, which became the most watched video on YouTube and VEVO in just 24 hours. On top of all that, Ariana took Selena Gomez’s place as the most followed woman on Instagram with 149 million followers.
It’s safe to say that throughout the highs and lows of the past couple of years, Ariana has come out better and sweeter than ever.