Actress, dancer and singer Ariana Grande is best known for the role of Cat Valentine on the Nickelodeon sitcom ‘Victorious.’ Grande began working on her first album while she was filming ‘Victorious’ and finally released “Yours Truly” on Sept. 3. “Yours Truly” is the result of three years of work and contains 13 tracks of ‘90s-style R&B music.
Grande’s first single “Put Your Hearts Up” was aimed at young audiences, perhaps intended for kids who knew her from “Victorious.”
On March 25, the album’s new lead single “The Way,” featuring Mac Miller, was released and instantly became a Top 10 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 chart for two weeks and eventually went platinum. The album’s second single “Baby, I” peaked at number 21, with Grande as the only woman to debut two singles in the top 10 of the Digital Songs chart this year.
The album’s main mission is to balance many different sounds. Growing up listening to The Crystals along with Whitney Houston and Mariah Carey, these sounds blend together in Grande’s memory. Her styles blend together effortlessly and compositionally.
With Grande’s impressive vocal performance and the sleek, percussion-heavy production and ‘90s groove, “Yours Truly” has gathered many positive reviews. Critics compare Grande’s exceptional vocals to Mariah Carey and her throwback to ‘90s-style R&B music.
“Yours Truly” is ultimately an impressive debut for Grande. With strong material and her even stronger voice, it unlikely that Ariana Grande is going away any time soon.
“Yours Truly” is streaming on Youtube, Amazon and iTunes, where listeners are able to purchase Grande’s first album.