We all know Ariana Grande for her #1 albums, hit singles, and recent dive into Hollywood with the award-winning ‘Wicked’ movie franchise. But have you ever wondered where her career began?
We’ve unearthed a rare clip of Ariana’s stage debut, at just eight years of age and filmed all the way back in 2001, showing the star in a light never seen before. Stealing the lead role in Fort Lauderdale Children’s Theater’s production of the legendary musical ‘Annie,’ this viral vid features pipsqueak Ariana singing the soundtrack hit, “Tomorrow,” to the tune of 956,000+ YouTube views. Music Man readers can dive into the moment in the video below…
Not a fan of musicals? Don’t worry – this clip’s absurdity will pull you through, as Ariana performs alongside a yapping dog and, thankfully, steals the show! But make sure you don’t miss her puppy co-star singing; it’s accidental comedy gold!
The similarities are evident, yet an entire world away from the icon Ariana is adored as today. Dressed in rags and sporting Annie’s iconic curly red bob, eight-year-old Ariana takes on the song pitch-perfectly as always, her crystal-clear voice carrying childhood tones, yet about as flawless as a child singer can get.
Yet, at the same time, Ariana is almost unrecognizable; still sporting her childlike chubby cheeks rather than the controversially razor-sharp aesthetic she serves today, and her vocals delivering not a single hint of the R&B glitz which made her a star. It’s the ultimate evidence of her evolution from child star to A-List legend, and it’s almost shocking to look back upon.
This clip has stolen fans’ hearts, with one top commenter on this YouTube clip noticing, “Ariana hit every note, maybe not strong and full yet, but her ear was accurate. She was born to sing.”
So, where did this ‘Annie’ stage debut lead young Ariana Grande next? Soon after stealing the lead role in ‘Annie,’ the Floridian-born singer performed in Fort Lauderdale Children’s Theater’s productions of ‘The Wizard of Oz’ and ‘Beauty And The Beast,’ before moving across the US with her family to Los Angeles, California, with the goal of creating an R&B album. But her managers stood against the idea of then-14-year-old Ariana becoming a pop icon at such a young age, instead landing her a further theatre role in the 2008 Broadway musical ‘13’.
The very next year, Ariana’s TV debut starring as Cat Valentine on Nickelodeon’s TV hit, “Victorious” quickly made her a fan favorite on the network, before she finally released her long-awaited US #1 debut album, “Yours Truly” in 2013. The rest, as they say, is history.