How Ariana Grande Shaped the Future: A Legacy Timeline

How the contributions of Ariana Grande continue to shape the world today.

Ariana Grande-Butera is an American singer, songwriter, and actress recognized as a pop icon. Known for her impressive four-octave vocal range, which extends into the whistle register, she is an influential figure in popular music.

Sections (5)

Full Timeline Early Life & Education Career & Achievements Success & Recognition Legacy & Impact

2014: "Santa Tell Me" Success

Ariana Grande's 2014 single "Santa Tell Me" is the most-streamed Christmas song released in the 2010s, and third-most-streamed overall, on Spotify.

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2014: Princess of Christmas

Due to her 2014 song "Santa Tell Me" becoming a modern-day Christmas standard and having a lasting impact, Grande was dubbed the "Princess of Christmas".

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2016: Time 100 Feature

In 2016, Ariana Grande was featured in Time 100.

2016: Time's 100 Most Influential People

In 2016, Ariana Grande was named one of Time's 100 most influential people in the world.

2017: Transition to Independent Artist

In 2017, Celia Almeida of the Miami New Times wrote that Ariana Grande made the most convincing transition from ingénue to an independent female artist of all the biggest pop stars of the past 20 years.

2019: Most-Streamed Female Act on Apple Music

As of 2019, Ariana Grande was the most-streamed female act on Apple Music.

2019: Most-Followed Woman on Instagram

In 2019 Ariana Grande was the most-followed woman on Instagram until January 2022.

2019: Time's 100 Most Influential People

In 2019, Ariana Grande was again named one of Time's 100 most influential people in the world.

2019: Time 100 and Celebrity 100 Features

In 2019, Ariana Grande was featured in Time 100 and Celebrity 100.

2020: Most-Streamed Female Artist on Spotify

In 2020, Ariana Grande became the most-streamed female artist of all time on Spotify, surpassing Rihanna.

2020: Stopped Doing Interviews

In 2020, Ariana Grande stated that she stopped doing interviews for a while out of fear that her words would be misconstrued.

2020: Thank U, Next featured in the 2020 edition of Guinness World Records

In 2020, Ariana Grande's album Thank U, Next, which led to the achievement of eleven world records, was featured in the 2020 edition of Guinness World Records.

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2020: First Pop Diva of the Streaming Generation

In 2020, Bloomberg named Ariana Grande the "first pop diva of the streaming generation".

2021: Streams as of 2021

As of 2021, Ariana Grande amassed 98 billion streams globally.

2021: "Thank U, Next" ranking in Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Songs

In 2021, Ariana Grande's song "Thank U, Next" was ranked number 137 in Rolling Stone's revision of their 500 Greatest Songs of All Time.

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January 2022: Most-Followed Woman on Instagram

From 2019 to January 2022, Ariana Grande was the most-followed woman on Instagram.

2023: Luminate's Stats on Grande

As of 2023, according to Luminate, Ariana Grande has moved 22.4 million album units in the US and garnered over 23.6 billion streams across lead artist credits.

2023: Rolling Stone's Greatest Singers List

In 2023, Ariana Grande was featured in Rolling Stone's list of the greatest singers of all time.

2023: Rolling Stone's 200 Greatest Singers of All Time

In 2023, Rolling Stone ranked Ariana Grande among the 200 Greatest Singers of All Time, at number 43.

March 2024: YouTube Channel Subscribers

As of March 2024, Ariana Grande's YouTube channel has over 54 million subscribers.

May 2024: Katy Perry's Claim

In May 2024, Katy Perry claimed that Ariana Grande is "the best singer of our generation".

2024: UK Certified Units

As of 2024, Ariana Grande is one of the best-selling female artists in the UK, with over 31 million certified units.

2024: Streams as of 2024

As of 2024, Ariana Grande is the second-most-streamed woman and the sixth-most-streamed act ever, with over 54 billion streams on Spotify.

2025: Broken 37 Guinness World Records

As of 2025, Ariana Grande has broken 37 Guinness World Records, including records for most songs to debut at number one on the Billboard Hot 100, most followers on Spotify (female), and most-streamed act on Spotify (female).