Ariana Grande’s transformation from curly-haired teen star to blonde and ethereal Glinda – as Wicked star unveils another new look

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Ariana Grande has transformed before our eyes.

After sporting blonde hair for three years while performing in Wicked, the singer and actress recently debuted a new brunette look, suggesting a fresh chapter in her career.

The star, 32, now looks worlds away from the teen actress who began her career over on Nickelodeon.

Ariana Grande became well-known at age 16 when she played Cat Valentine on the TV show Victorious. She later starred in the spin-off series Sam & Cat with Jennette McCurdy.

Similar to other young performers who started in acting, Ariana successfully shifted her career to music and has achieved remarkable success on the Billboard Hot 100, with 86 songs charting and nine reaching the top spot.

Fans first recognized her for her vibrant red hair when she appeared on Nickelodeon. Later, while traveling the globe, she became known for a different look: long, dark brown hair styled in a high ponytail, often paired with cat-ear headbands.

The actress surprised her fans in October 2022 by revealing she’d dyed her hair blonde, as she began preparing for her role as Glinda in the upcoming movie, Wicked.

The Daily Mail revisits the amazing journey of this star, from their beginnings as a red-haired teenager to becoming a popular, tanned singer and, ultimately, a celebrated actor.

Born in Florida, she first gained attention performing on cruise ships and on Broadway. In 2009, she became a star on the popular Nickelodeon show Victorious, known for her natural and charming on-screen presence.

At 16-years-old, the star sported dark brown glowing curls and dimples.

She became a redhead after getting the part on the popular TV show with Victoria Justice, which featured a cast mostly comprised of women with brown hair.

Reports from the time said that Dan Schneider, the show’s executive producer, didn’t want the actresses to have similar looks, so Ariana Grande had to dye her hair red every other week.

Ariana shared that working on the show was so demanding, it led to hair loss.

Let me tell you, playing Cat for those first four years really took a toll on my hair! I was committed to the look, so I bleached and dyed it red every two weeks. It sounds dramatic, and honestly, it was – my hair was completely wrecked by the constant processing. I shared that story on Facebook a while back, and it still rings true!

‘I now wear a wig on Sam & Cat.

Okay, so everyone thinks my hair is blonde, but it’s actually back to brown now! I do wear extensions to get the look, but honestly? If I try to wear it down without them, it’s a disaster. My real hair is just so damaged and fried that it looks… well, let’s just say it doesn’t look good. Like, seriously ratchet and ridiculous. A ponytail is my saving grace right now!

Sam & Cat was eventually canceled by Nickelodeon, with the final episode airing on July 17, 2014. 

Ariana announced the show was ending on X, and later explained she decided to leave to pursue new opportunities in her life and career.

She first appeared on the Billboard Hot 100 chart with her song ‘The Way,’ a collaboration with Mac Miller.

The song later peaked at No.9 and become the first of her 22 top 10s to date.

Ariana Grande’s signature high ponytail became instantly recognizable as her career took off. She wore the style during performances, at events, and in interviews, and it quickly became a key part of her image.

For years, people have wondered if the star has had plastic surgery because her looks keep changing, and she’s often in the public eye.

In December 2019, she addressed allegations that she had gone under the knife to have a nose job.

She reacted to a fan’s speculation on X (formerly Twitter) that she’d had a nose job, playfully replying, ‘Seriously? This is the nose I was born with! Just let me have a cute nose, please.’

I was really surprised to learn, back in September 2023, that after ten years in the spotlight, the singer had actually undergone a lot of cosmetic procedures – she said she’d had ‘tons’ of them! It was a bit shocking to hear, honestly.

In a Vogue Beauty Secrets video, she openly admitted to having previously used lip fillers and Botox, but she decided to stop in 2018, feeling she’d overdone it.

She revealed she used to get a lot of lip filler and Botox, but she quit in 2018 because she felt she’d gone too far.

With emotion, she explained that she used to feel the need to hide, and for a long time, she associated beauty with doing just that. But since she stopped getting fillers and Botox, she’s starting to feel like things are changing and that beauty doesn’t have to be about hiding anymore.

Ariana encouraged her followers to embrace their natural looks, especially as they age.

She added that she wants to embrace the natural signs of aging, like wrinkles from both crying and laughing. She hopes to develop deeper smile lines from a life filled with laughter, believing that aging can be a truly beautiful process.

She acknowledged she could potentially change her opinion later, but emphasized the importance of being open and honest about it.

She wasn’t sure if she’d ever revisit it, but she encouraged others to do what makes them happy and feel good about themselves.

I wonder if I’ll consider cosmetic surgery in the future, maybe around ten years from now. It’s just something I think we should be open about. If we’re sharing beauty tips and secrets, let’s be completely honest and talk about everything – all of it.

The actress used to be famous for her dramatic makeup, especially her long eyelashes and dark eyeshadow, but she’s now choosing a more natural appearance.

She talked about how she once relied on makeup to hide things, but now, as she’s getting older, she prefers to use it to enhance her natural features instead.

In August 2021, Ariana Grande was cast as Glinda in the movie version of the popular Broadway musical, Wicked, and will star alongside Cynthia Erivo.

For the star, it was her ‘dream role,’ and something she manifested 13-years-old.

I recently saw ‘Wicked’ again, and wow – it’s just an incredible show! It really got me thinking about dream roles, and honestly, I’d absolutely love to play Glinda someday. It’s a total bucket list item for me!

When Ariana Grande lightened her hair to blonde for her role as Glinda, some fans expressed worry about her health, noticing she seemed to have lost weight.

She responded to rumors circulating online with a TikTok video, after fans began comparing photos of her from the beginning of her career.

The singer explained that she wasn’t at her best in older photos circulating online, and that she’s in a much healthier place now.

She started by saying she wanted to talk about the attention her body receives and address any concerns people might have about it.

‘I think we should be gentler and less comfortable commenting on people’s bodies, no matter what.

It’s best to be mindful of what you say, even if you believe your intentions are good. Whether it’s positive or negative, significant or trivial, attractive or not, let’s try to express ourselves with more consideration.

‘I think we should help each other work towards just being safer and keeping each other safer.’

Regarding comments about her looks, she explained that beauty comes in many forms.

Everyone has their own idea of what looks healthy and beautiful, but for me, the body I used to have was actually when I felt my unhealthiest.

She shared that she was taking several antidepressants and also drinking alcohol while on them, a combination that can be risky due to potential harmful interactions.

She confessed that she was at her lowest point and not eating well, despite appearing healthy to others.

She admitted it seemed obvious, but thought being open and honest could lead to something positive. She also pointed out that ‘healthy’ doesn’t always look the same for everyone.

Ariana Grande has revealed she’s been living with PTSD after the deadly bombing at her concert in Manchester, England, in May 2017, which tragically took the lives of 22 people.

As a lifestyle observer, I’ve noticed a lot of chatter from fans lately regarding the actress’s appearance during the ‘Wicked’ promotional events. She’s been looking quite slender on the red carpet, and people are understandably expressing concern.

Ariana and Cynthia both told the New York Times that filming was incredibly demanding, and they both came down with Covid while working on set.

You know, filming a movie is a marathon, not a sprint, and staying healthy is key! Ariana shared that both she and another cast member only dealt with one illness during the entire shoot, and it happened right before crucial scenes. For me, it was the week before we filmed ‘Popular’ – definitely didn’t want to be under the weather for that number! It just goes to show, even with the best precautions, things happen, but timing is everything.

‘I came to set with a mask on my final days of recovery to learn the hallway finale.’

When the actors’ strike stopped production last summer, Cynthia shared that she was actually ‘grateful,’ explaining that she and her partner had been working incredibly hard.

She explained that what initially seemed like a disruption eventually felt like a welcome break.

‘We’d worked ourselves to the bone. I was really grateful,’

Now, as Ariana finishes filming the second part of Wicked, which came out on November 21st, she’s gone back to her natural brunette hair.

Last month, the actress shared a new photo of herself on Instagram, showing off her updated style to her millions of followers.

Captioning the upload, she wrote: ‘It’s good to see me, isn’t it?’

She made sure to give credit to her beauty team, tagging hair colorist Francesco De Chiara (based in London), stylist Alyx Liu, and makeup artist Michael Anthony.

Fans of the beloved Side to Side hitmaker celebrated the return of her natural hair colour.

Taking to Reddit, one exclaimed: ‘FINALLY.’

One person exclaimed, “It’s so much better right away!” Another commented that the hair color looked beautiful on her.

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2025-11-11 17:09