Ariana Grande: 'Nothing's going to stop me'

When Ariana Grande heard the final version of Bang Bang, her diva showdown with Jessie J and Nicki Minaj, she remembers falling to the floor and blurting, "Holy Lord, thank you for this moment!"

Grande, 21, has enjoyed a lot of big moments leading up to today's release of second album My Everything, fueled by four songs that already have sold 4 million downloads and racked up 200 million streams.

With Break Free at No. 4, Problem at No. 7 and Bang at No. 10 this week, the singer/actress joins Adele as the only female lead artists to lock up three slots simultaneously in the top 10 of Billboard's Hot 100 singles chart.

"She's set up for a great debut," says Keith Caulfield, Billboard associate director of charts/sales, who predicts a No. 1 bow based on industry forecasts.

Compared to many of her peers, "she seems way brighter and more pop-culture savvy," Caulfield says. "Her voice echoes Mariah Carey, but she has a wide taste in music and can channel a lot of sounds and styles."

The singer, acclaimed for her supple pipes, says her biggest weapon is drive.

"When I'm working on my music, I submerse myself," she says. "Nothing's going to stop me. It fulfills me. I want to express my feelings, keep it real and progress as a person."

Music wasn't the Florida native's first calling. She acted in 13 on Broadway in 2008, then in two Nickelodeon sitcoms (Victorious and Sam & Cat) before releasing 2013 debut Yours Truly, a chart-topper propelled by hit The Way.

"I'm such a theater geek and would love to go back to live theater, but I want to do pop music forever," Grande says, citing the "weird combination" of India Arie, Madonna and Imogen Heap as her heaviest influences.

Grande hijacked the summer with Problem, a song she initially wanted to yank from the album. The sassy bubblegum tune featuring Iggy Azalea has sold 2.9 million downloads. On first listen, Grande didn't hear a hit.

"I had the opposite reaction," she says. "'I don't like this song. It annoys me.' But when it was done, I realized it was so special."

For Grande, Problem's hot streak ended when her grandfather died in July. She scrapped three weeks of career commitments to be close to her tight Italian-American clan.

"I'd have moments of celebratory happiness but nothing is more real than that pain," she says. "It was a reality check. Nothing is more important than family."

She also finds solace in Kabbalah and attends classes every Friday. Raised Catholic, she left the church at 13 "hand in hand" with her gay older half-brother, actor/producer Frankie Grande.

"I went with him because he had his heart broken by our faith," she says. "I fell in love with Kabbalah. It's a positive, beautiful way of life."

Grande hasn't expressed her political and social views in songs yet, "but I may do that down the line," she says. "Music is a perfect vehicle to tell any story. I'll tell all my stories."

Ariana Grande: Top Facts for Fans

Ariana Grande’s popularity has recently reached new heights. She is now counted among one of the biggest names in the pop circuits. It seems that she had just arrived on the scene when suddenly, her name was everywhere. The transition from being a newcomer to a major star has been swift for Grande. Here are the top essential facts any fan needs to know about Ariana Grande.

So who is this girl, anyway? Grande is a powerhouse singer who has quickly gained a great deal of fame due to her astonishing vocal gifts. In fact, her vocal range is similar to that of Mariah Carey’s, and fans often compare the two divas. Grande falls just short of Carey in the singing department, though: unlike the five octaves and two notes of Carey’s, Grande’s vocal range is at four octaves.

While most everyone would agree that she is an excellent singer, Grande’s dancing is not so “Grande.” Many fans lovingly tease Grande about her lack of dancing ability, and it has been said that she cannot dance to save her life. During her first performance, Vox reports, she just stood there and let her voice do the magic since she is most likely aware of her limitations. As reported by Vox, her dancing caliber only consists of her flipping her hair at this point, but she has recently been trying to improve upon her dance steps.

Her success in the music industry can be attributed to some seriously savvy marketing. Her first album was launched by Republic Records, and it has been reported that Ariana has collaborated with them for three albums in total. She most recently completed a collaboration with Iggy Azalea. Target and Beats headphones will reap the benefits of her talents as well as she has recently signed on as a spokeswoman for the two companies. This is one girl who is going to have a jam-packed schedule as she continues building her music career.

Some online commentators feel that the the buzz regarding her new album could be because of the association with Max Martin. Martin is considered to be a “pop God.” He spearheaded the success of Britney Spears and brought Taylor Swift to international fame. It is evident from the success of Grande’s first single that this association is paying off for Grande, big time.

Many fans say she has the potential to become a mega pop diva like those who have gone before her. Her first album, Yours Truly pushed her to the same stature, which Britney Spears, Beyoncé and Ashlee Simpson once enjoyed. Her impressive vocal range and command as well as natural talent for singing could make her the next superstar. However, one must not forget that the international pop arena is currently facing a dearth of female singing talents. Grande has arrived at a time when there are fewer female singer present to compete with her than there were previously, so fans expect her meteoric rise in the music industry to continue unhindered.

9 Questions you are too embarrassed to ask about Ariana Grande

Ariana Grande is one of the biggest names in pop music this summer. For those who haven't been paying attention, it might seem like she came out of nowhere and rocketed into the national spotlight. And, indeed, with two albums in two years, Grande's ascent to pop-stardom has been swift.

Here's a recap of Grande's career thus far, and thoughts on what her future prospects look like.

1) Who is Ariana Grande?

Ariana Grande (pronounced gran-dey) is a 21-year-old actress turned singer-songwriter. She is known for her hit songs "The Way" and "Problem." She's five-feet tall, she (almost) has the lungs of Mariah Carey, and she opened for Justin Bieber after her debut album launched.

2) Is that her real name?

Pretty much. Ariana Grande's birth name is Ariana Grande-Butera. Grande is her mother's maiden name. She does not have a middle name, as she made very clear in this tweet. She is "Italian American , half Sicilian and half Abruzzese."

3) How did she get famous?

Ariana Grande began her career when she premiered in 2008 in the Broadway musical 13. In 2010, she also began a role on the Nickelodeon show Victorious, where she played Cat Valentine. Eventually, Victorious was cancelled, but Grande's character was spun off in 2012 to the show Sam & Cat, where she had a more central role than she had on Victorious.

Grande has a couple of advantages over other child stars. First, she started later than many of them. When she began her career at 13, Grande was already old enough to decide what she wanted to do and how she wanted to accomplish it.

More importantly though, there was already a very clear distinction between whom she played on Nickelodeon and who she was in real life because — unlike Britney Spears, for example — she had always been a character on television instead of a dramatized version of herself.

She released her first album Yours Truly while filming Sam & Cat, after being scouted by Scooter Braun, the god of pop-managers, who also found and promoted Justin Bieber. "I don't think she needs to worry about anything other than being who she is," Braun told Complex Magazine.

She has since abandoned acting to pursue her music career. Nickelodeon announced in July that, despite great ratings, Sam & Cat had been cancelled after just one season.

4) Whom is she compared to?

Because of her vocal range, Grande is often compared to power vocalist Mariah Carey. Her vocal range, at four octaves, isn't quite the five octaves and two notes that Carey has, but it's not too shabby. Grande called Mariah Carey the greatest vocalist who ever lived because of "her range, her ability, and her control.

5) Can she dance?

Nope. Nope. Not at all.

Ariana Grande is a horrible dancer. When she performed songs on her first album, she followed the path of powerhouse vocalists like Mariah Carey and Celine Dion: she stood still and let her voice do the heavy lifting.

But in the promotion for her new album, Grande has tried to make the transition to pop princess, which means she's trying to dance. For Grande, most dancing is really just hair flipping.

6) Is that the biggest struggle in her life?

No. Demons are.

Grande has been very clear that she does not believe humans are the only intelligent beings on this planet. She told Complex Magazine about a time that she photographed "three distinct faces" of demons, but later deleted the photo because it was "666 megabytes." Grande told Complex that she is very afraid of demons and something she calls black matter.

7) Why is she so popular this summer?

This summer, in a drought of new music, Ariana Grande released two songs: a pop anthem and a star-studded collaboration. Her single "Problem" featuring Iggy Azalea was a contender for song of the summer. Then she released "Break Free," a pop R&B jam that shows off Grande's massive soprano range.

8) Why is her new album such a big deal?

Grande's success has been the product of a massive marketing campaign. Grande's sophomore album is being released by Republic Records, a division of Universal Music Group, and is promising to be a triple threat. In addition to a full album, Grande has released a music video with Iggy Azalea, will perform at the VMAs, and will debut a host of commercials for Target and Beats headphones.

In addition, My Everything was produced by pop god Max Martin. Martin is the producer that made Britney Spears a huge success and helped Taylor Swift turn the corner from country-rock to international pop star. As evidenced from the first single off My Everything, "Problem," Grande, too, is trying to make the transition from young talent with a golden voice to superstar. And she's doing so under Martin's direction, which gives her a distinct advantage.

9) Is Ariana Granda the next pop-queen?

The easiest answer here is maybe. Grande has potential. Her first studio album, Yours Truly, debuted atop on the Billboard chart, putting her in the same ranks as Britney Spears and Beyoncé, but also Ashlee Simpson. The first album for each of those artists debuted at no. 1. For Britney and Beyoncé, that meant infinite fame. For Ashlee Simpson, not so much. Unlike Simpson, Grande certainly has a natural talent in her impressive vocal range. That, by itself, could propel her to further fame.

But this summer has allowed Grande to exist in a competition vacuum. No other major female pop star has released a big hit this summer, so she has mostly had the charts to herself (excluding Iggy, who is, for all intents and purposes, a rapper). Once Grande has to compete for teenage fans with a new Taylor Swift, Katy Perry, or Rihanna release this fall, we'll see just what her pop legacy will look like.

Grande's new album, My Everything, will be released August 25.