14 of Ariana Grande's biggest songs of all time 🙌
As determined by their YouTube views!
Ariana Grande needs no introduction... She's one of the biggest popstars around! Her albums are readily topping the charts all over the world - as are her incredible hits like 'Dangerous Woman', 'Into You' and 2024 single 'yes and ?'.
Ariana has now released her seventh album - and we cannot WAIT to see her star in the upcoming Wicked film adaptation as Glinda the Good Witch!
To determine which is the most popular Ariana Grande song of all time from her incredible career so far, we've ranked her Top 14 songs by how many views they've had on YouTube... You'll never guess Number 1!
14) Ariana Grande featuring Mac Miller - 'The Way'
Ariana's debut single 'The Way' dropped back in 2013, released on 26th March. The song immediately showed off Ariana's impressive vocals and incredible range, and featured her ex-boyfriend, the late Mac Miller.
Featuring on her debut album 'Yours Truly', the song is now certified Gold in the UK, seeing a resurgence in popularity following Ariana releasing a live recording of her debut album, to celebrate its 10-year anniversary. It's had over 464 million views on YouTube.
WATCH: Ariana Grande - 'Yours Truly' (Official Video)
13) Ariana Grande - 'break up with your girlfriend, i'm bored'
Featuring on Ari's fifth album, 'Thank U, Next', her track 'break up with your girlfriend, i'm bored' was an instant hit. Reaching the Number 1 spot in the UK, the track has been certified Platinum in the UK and 3x Platinum in the US.
With the music video featuring a Riverdale star, it has now amassed over 558 million views on YouTube.
WATCH: Ariana Grande - 'break up with your girlfriend, i'm bored' (Official Video)
WARNING: Explicit language
12) Ariana Grande - 'Positions'
Released in October 2020 from her album of the same name, 'Positions' was a super-catchy hit for Ari. The song made it to Number 1 in the UK and the US, and was nominated for a 2022 Grammy Award for Best Pop Solo Performance - it's even reached Platinum status over here in the UK!
Not only did the music video start a new TikTok trend, with fans imitating Ari switching between scenes and outfits, it's now had over 562 million views on YouTube.
WATCH: Ariana Grande - 'Positions' (Official Video)
11) Ariana Grande - 'Dangerous Woman'
Keen to shed her Nickelodeon image, Ari put out 'Dangerous Woman' on 11th March 2016 - the first single from her album of the same name. Nominated for the Grammy Award for Best Pop Solo Performance, the song was offered to Alicia Keys and Rihanna too, but Ari won out after winning over songwriters Johan Carlsson and Ross Golan.
Although the song didn't break into the Top 10 in the UK and peaked at Number 8 in the US, it went Platinum in the UK and 3x Platinum in the US - proving to be hugely popular among her fanbase. It's had over 714 million views on YouTube.
WATCH: Ariana Grande - 'Dangerous Woman' (Official Video)
10) Ariana Grande - 'thank u, next'
Ariana released 'thank u, next' on 3rd November 2018, shortly after her split from Pete Davidson. The song is all about her previous relationships - the lyrics to the first verse are: 'Thought I'd end up with Sean / But he wasn't a match / Wrote some songs about Ricky / Now I listen and laugh / Even almost got married / And for Pete, I'm so thankful / Wish I could say, "Thank you" to Malcolm / 'Cause he was an angel' - references to ex-boyfriends Big Sean, Ricky Alvarez, Pete Davidson and Mac Miller.
The song went to Number 1 around the world, including the UK and US, and the music video for the song has pretty much gone down in history! Featuring plenty of 90s/Noughties iconic film references, Ariana embodies characters from Clueless, Bring It On, 13 Going on 30 and Legally Blonde.
It was released on 30th November 2019, and broke the record for most-watched music video on YouTube within 24 hours, officially reaching 55.4 million views in its first day. It's had over 800 million YouTube views in total, hitting the milestone number in February 2024.
WATCH: Ariana Grande - 'thank u, next' (Official Video)
She celebrated the first anniversary of the song 'thank u, next' back in November 2019, writing on Twitter: 'happy birthday ‘thank u, next’. i can’t believe i’ve spent more time alone this year than i have in my life, i can’t believe how many sessions w my therapist i’ve had, how many times i’ve sung this song, how much i’ve learned and healed, how much i still have to learn and heal!'
9) Ariana Grande featuring The Weeknd - 'Love Me Harder'
In ninth place is 'Love Me Harder', Ariana's collaboration with The Weeknd which was released in September 2014. Although it wasn't huge in the UK, 'Love Me Harder' was a big hit in the US, being certified 3x Platinum. It's had over 817 million views on YouTube.
WATCH: Ariana Grande, The Weeknd - 'Love Me Harder' (Official Video)
8) Ariana Grande - 'Focus'
Ari's song 'Focus' was released in October 2015, featuring the vocals of Jamie Foxx in the chorus. It broke into the Top 10 in both the UK and the US, and was certified Platinum in the US. It's had over 999 million views on YouTube.
She said of the song: "When I say, 'focus on me', I'm not asking to be the centre of attention. I'm not asking you to focus on my face or my clothes or my body or my singing voice. By 'focus on me', I literally mean focus on me. Focus on what I'm all about and what I believe in.
"The more we focus on each other as people and not on what we look like, what we're wearing, our gender, our hairstyle, our sexuality, the colour of our skin. But focus on each other on a soul level. The more we realise how much we have in common, the more we listen to each other, the more one we become."
WATCH: Ariana Grande - 'Focus' (Official Video)
7) Ariana Grande - 'Into You'
'Into You' was the second single from Ariana's third album, 'Dangerous Woman', released in May 2016. Although it didn't break into the Top 10 in either the UK or the US, it was certified 2x Platinum in the UK and 3x Platinum in the US. It's had a whopping 1 BILLION views on YouTube.
WATCH: Ariana Grande - 'Into You' (Official Video)
6) Ariana Grande - 'no tears left to cry'
After the devastating events in Manchester during her 'Dangerous Woman' tour in 2017, Ariana took time out of the spotlight. 'no tears left to cry' was her first new material since then, with Ariana explaining that she wanted to touch on what happened but not to dwell on it.
The song was released in April 2018 from her album 'Sweetener', peaking at Number 2 in the UK and Number 3 in the US. It was certified 2x Platinum in the UK and 3x Platinum in the US, and won Best Pop at the MTV Video Music Awards in 2018. It's had over 1.18 billion views on YouTube.
WATCH: Ariana Grande - 'no tears left to cry' (Official Video)
5) Ariana Grande - 'Break Free' ft. Zedd
Ariana worked with producer Zedd, best known for his songs 'Clarity', 'Stay The Night' and 'Stay, for 'Break Free' which was released in July 2014. It was the second single from her second album 'My Everything' and peaking at Number 4 in the US, although didn't break into the Top 10 in the UK.
It was certified 3x Platinum in the US and Platinum in the UK, and has had over 1.19 billion views on YouTube.
WATCH: Ariana Grande - 'Break Free' ft. Zedd (Official Video)
4) Ariana Grande - '7 rings'
'7 rings' was Ariana's first single after 'thank u, next', releasing it in January 2019 as the second single from her fifth album 'thank u, next'. It was nominated for both Record of the Year and Best Pop Solo Performance at the 2020 Grammy Awards, and sampled 'My Favourite Things' from the musical The Sound of Music.
It peaked at Number 1 in both the US and the UK, and been certified Platinum in the UK too. It's had over 1.36 billion views on YouTube.
WATCH: Ariana Grande - '7 rings' (Official Video)
3) Ariana Grande ft. Iggy Azalea - 'Problem'
Ariana teamed up with Australian rapper Iggy Azalea on 'Problem', released in April 2014 as the lead single from her second album 'My Everything'. It peaked at Number 1 in the UK and Number 2 in the US, being certified 6x Platinum in the US. It has had over 1.4 billion views on YouTube.
WATCH: Ariana Grande ft. Iggy Azalea - 'Problem' (Official Video)
2) Jessie J, Ariana Grande, Nicki Minaj - 'Bang Bang'
Although Ari was already a pretty huge name by 2014, collaborating with Nicki Minaj and Jessie J on powerhouse hit 'Bang Bang' really threw her into the spotlight and made more audiences aware of her.
Appearing on the deluxe version of Arianna's second album, 'My Everything', as well as Jessie's third record 'Sweet Talker', 'Bang Bang' was nominated for the Best Pop Duo/Group Performance Grammy at the 2015 awards.
It peaked at Number 1 in the UK, receiving a 2x Platinum certification, and went to Number 3 in the US - and has since been certified 6x Platinum there. It's had 1.9 BILLION views on YouTube.
WATCH: Jessie J, Ariana Grande, Nicki Minaj - 'Bang Bang' (Official Video)
1) Ariana Grande ft. Nicki Minaj - 'Side To Side'
Top of Ariana's list of songs is another collaboration with Nicki Minaj - 'Side To Side', released in August 2016. The track appeared on Ariana's third album 'Dangerous Woman', peaking at Number 4 in the UK AND the US. It's had a 2x Platinum certification in the UK, with a 4x Platinum over in the States.
The music video was nominated for Best Choreography at the 2017 MTV Video Music Awards, and has had a whopping 2.19 BILLION views on YouTube.
WATCH: Ariana Grande ft. Nicki Minaj - 'Side To Side' (Official Video)
Scroll through to see Ariana Grande's career timeline so far:
Early life
Ariana was born in Florida in 1993 to CEO Joan Grande and company owner Edward Butera, who had recently moved the family from New York to the sunshine state. As a child growing up in Florida, she enjoyed taking part in school plays. Ariana then moved to New York as a young teenager, and in 2008 she starred in the Broadway musical 13.
2010 - 2013: Victorious
After that she moved onto a Nickleodeon TV series called Victorious, where she played the role of Cat Valentine. Following four seasons on Victorious she then starred in two seasons of the spin-off series Sam & Cat before taking roles other TV and theatre roles.
2011: 'Give It Up'
Her move towards music started in 2011 when she featured on the 'Music from Victorious' album singing 'Give It Up' with her co-star Elizabeth Gillies.
2013: Debut album
In 2013, the singer released her debut album, 'Yours Truly', which she described as a "throwback" to the R&B music of the 1990s. The first single released from her album was 'The Way' and featured her former boyfriend Mac Miller.
2014: 'Problem'
It wasn't until 2014 and the single 'Problem' that Ariana Grande saw chart success in the UK. The music video for the song, featuring Australian rapper Iggy Azalea, won Best Pop Video at the 2014 MTV Video Music Awards and has now been viewed more than 1 billion times on YouTube.
2014: Jessie J collaboration
Following 'Problem' Ariana had a number of top 10 hits in the UK, including 'Bang Bang' with Jessie J and Nicki Minaj in 2014, working with Nicki once again on 'Side to Side'. She also saw huge success with 'One Last Time', which appeared on her second album 'My Everything', released in August 2014.
2016: 'Dangerous Woman'
Ariana also embarked on her biggest tour to date - the 'Dangerous Woman Tour' supporting her third album 'Dangerous Woman'. Devastatingly, her show at Manchester Arena on 22nd May 2017 ended with a horrific tragedy when a bomb killed 22 people and injured many others.
Following the terrible events of that night, messages of support for those affected poured in from around the world, including many from pop stars and celebrities.
Ariana, along with her team, worked quickly to put on a show that would bring everyone together at such a difficult time. Less than two weeks after the attack, the One Love Manchester benefit concert took place, with a line-up that included Katy Perry, Little Mix, Miley Cyrus, Justin Bieber and many more artists - as well as Ariana herself.
2018: 'Sweetener'
Ariana understandably took some time off during 2017, but returned in August 2018 with her 'Sweetener' album which peaked at Number 1 in the UK and US, as well as many other countries around the world. It catalogued her dealing with everything she'd been through, as well as her relationship with Pete Davidson, which ended in October 2018.
2018: 'thank u, next'
Ariana suffered yet more loss in 2018 when her ex-boyfriend and close friend Mac Miller passed away. She paid tribute to him in beautiful Instagram posts, and even referenced him as an "angel" in her song 'thank u, next' - which practically broke the Internet with its incredible music video, taking inspiration from many iconic 90s and 00s teen films like Mean Girls.
2019: 'thank u, next' Take 2
...But Ari wasn't done there! Releasing her second album in less than six months, the album 'thank u, next' came out in February 2019, again topping the charts all over the world.
2019: Honoured with a waxwork
Ariana's waxwork at Madame Tussaud's was unveiled on Tuesday 21st May for an exclusive five-week residency starting on Friday 24th May. The final design of Ariana was chosen by fans, and Steve Davies, General Manager at Madame Tussauds London, said, "There is no doubt about it – Ariana Grande is one of the biggest female pop-superstars in the world right now and rightfully deserves this residency at Madame Tussauds London.
"Fans have been asking that Ariana's figure join our A List line up for some time and we loved working with them to decide the star's outfit. Much like the lady herself, Ariana's figure will be making her London appearance for a limited time only so Arianators should be quick to grab a chance to 'meet' their idol!"
2019: Charlie's Angels reboot
Ariana co-executive produced the soundtrack to the 2019 reboot of Charlie's Angels, singing the title track 'Don't Call Me Angel' with Miley Cyrus and Lana Del Rey.
2020: Potential casting in the live-action Hercules?
Ari took part in the Disney Family Singalong during lockdown in April 2020, singing 'I Won't Say I'm In Love' from Hercules - sparking calls for her to play the role of Meg in the upcoming Disney live-action remake of the 1997 animated original.
2020: Surprise release of her sixth album
Ariana announced in October 2020 that her sixth album would be released that month! At the time, she released no other information about the record, keep her fans in total suspense.
2020: The release of her sixth album 'positions'
Ari then released her sixth album 'positions' just two weeks later on Friday 30th October 2020 - and fans were over the moon!
2021: Ariana, Doja Cat and Megan Thee Stallion
In 2021, Ariana released a remix of her track '34+35' that featured on her album 'positions'. The track, '34+35 Remix', features huge names Doja Cat and Megan Thee Stallion and was a massive hit with fans. Later that year, Ariana returned the favour to Doja Cat, featuring on 'I Don't Do Drugs' from Doja's third album 'Planet Her'.
2021: Ari joins the judging panel for The Voice
In March 2021, Ariana was announced to be joining the judging panel for The Voice US! She'll be replacing Nick Jonas on the panel and sit alongside Kelly Clarkson, John Legend and Blake Shelton when the show returns in September 2021.
2021: Ariana Grande announced for new Wicked film
Ariana Grande was announced as Glinda in the upcoming film adaptation of Wicked, which is also star Cynthia Erivo. Ariana has been a fan of Wicked for many years, even taking part in an NBC special called A Very Wicked Halloween, to celebrate the fifteenth anniversary of the musical.
2021: Ariana Grande releases her R.E.M. Beauty make-up range
In September 2021, Ariana Grande announced that she is launching her own beauty brand called R.E.M. Beauty.
The make-up range was then launched in November 2021 and is described on the website as: 'r.e.m. beauty was created to empower you with the tools you need to bring your most vivid, limitless, and creative dreams to life.
'Our products blend otherworldly ideas with real world innovation to inspire you to explore what creativity means to you.'
2021: Ariana Grande stars in Netflix film Don't Look Up
Ariana starred in the Netflix comedy drama Don't Look Up, written and directed by Academy Award winner Adam McKay. Ariana plays world-famous musician Riley Bina, who performs a song. According to Adam, the singer improvised some of the song which he immediately thought: "Oh, that's going in the movie".
Don't Look Up also stars Leonardo DiCaprio and Jennifer Lawrence as astronomers try to convince the world that there is a comet threatening to wipe out life on Earth.
2022: Ariana Grande releases Chapter 2 of her R.E.M. Beauty make-up range
In March 2022, Ariana released Chapter 2 of her R.E.M. Beauty make-up range. The singer shared a number of photos on her social media along with a promotional video.
In May, Ari shared a video on r.e.m. beauty's official YouTube, where she lead a makeup tutorial using products from both Chapters.
2022: Ariana is announced as a guest judge on RuPaul's Drag Race
On 14th December 2022, the exciting news was announced that Ariana Grande would be returning to the RuPaul's Drag Race judging panel!
Both the show's official socials, and Ariana herself, confirmed the exciting news, revealing that she would be making her Ru-turn as a guest judge for season 15, which would air in January 2023.
2023: First look at Ariana in Wicked movie released
On 16th April 2023, fans got their first look at Ariana in the Wicked movie! Sharing two posts, we also got to see Cynthia Erivo as Elphaba. With the first of two films set for release on 27th November 2024, you can see the first look images and everything else we know about the Wicked film here.
2023: Ari's R.E.M. Beauty voted Best Celebrity Beauty Brand
In September 2023, Ariana's make-up brand R.E.M. Beauty was awarded the Cosmopolitan Reader's Choice Award for the Best Celebrity Beauty Brand! Just two years after the brand's official launch, and shortly after it launching its first Sweetener foundation - a 60-shade skin care-infused range - Ari celebrated the win on Instagram, writing: 'thank you @cosmopolitan readers for voting for @r.e.m.beauty ! we are so grateful (and we feel like we're just getting started) 🥲♡'. (sic)
2024: Ariana drops new single 'yes, and?
Ariana dropped her first solo music in three years on 12th January, an epic new single called 'yes, and?' which later appeared on her seventh album, 'Eternal Sunshine', which was released in March 2024. The song was an instant hit, flying to the Number 1 spot on the US Billboard Hot 100, and bagging the Number 2 spot in the UK Chart. Just one month after the vogue-like music video premiered on YouTube, it amassed over an impressive 40 million views.
2024: Ariana releases a remix track with Mariah Carey
On 16th February 2024, Ariana released a remixed version of her hit 'yes, and ?' with Mariah Carey! Citing the global superstar as the 'queen of my heart and lifelong inspiration', Ariana thanks Mariah for 'sprinkling your brilliance and magic on my little song'. The 'yes, and ?' remix was released alongside an accompanying lyric video of Ariana's YouTube channel.
Listen to Ariana Grande and Mariah Carey's 'yes, and ?' remix here on YouTube.
2024: Ariana releases seventh album 'Eternal Sunshine'
In January 2024, Ariana Grande delighted fans by announcing her highly-anticipated seventh album, 'Eternal Sunshine', which was released on 8th March 2024. Containing tracks like 'yes, and?', 'the boy is mine' and 'imperfect for you', it was an instant hit with fans who loved how raw yet uplifting the record is.
You can hear Ariana Grande's biggest hits on the heat radio playlist. 🎶
Read more:
All the things you ever needed to know about Ariana Grande 🎶 💕
10 of Ariana Grande's biggest collabs to date
Ariana Grande's albums: Everything you need to know about her music catalogue