Ariana Grande's Hair Transformation: From Ponytails To Bangs And Her Natural Hair

After becoming famous when she was just a teenager, Ariana Grande has gone through a complete evolution. Her audience paid close attention as she went from adolescent Broadway actor to Oscar-nominated co-lead in one of the biggest movies of the year, Nickelodeon darling to Grammy-winning powerhouse vocalist, child star to pop music icon. But through all those changes, the most drastic transformation Grande has pulled off hasn't been her talent or her performance style or the quality of her work — it's been her hair.

Yes, Grande's hair has gone through a number of iterations over the past decade. It's arguably a larger part of her persona than her fashion choices or makeup, and it defines her various performance eras almost as much as her work itself. While some colors and styles are more iconic than others, each marks a distinct time in Grande's career. From ponytails to bangs and her natural hair, this is Ariana Grande's hair transformation.

While many fans were introduced to Ariana Grande when she starred as Cat Valentine in "Victorious," her first major role was actually on Broadway. The star played Charlotte in the musical "13" (alongside her "Victorious" co-star Liz Gillies), and her hair was about as natural as it's been since she's been in show business. Grande rocked brown, curly locks, and she kept her hair pulled back with a headband for rehearsals.

Ariana Grande's life changed when she joined the cast of "Victorious." The young performer played Cat Valentine for the Nickelodeon series, and she reprised the role for the spin-off series "Sam & Cat." Grande dyed her hair red for the part, and the bright locks became a defining character trait for Cat. As Grande said in an interview with Zach Sang, she still thinks of Cat when she sees red hair. "The red was Cat ... That was very much a portion of my life that I love and I am so grateful for."

Although Ariana Grande enjoys acting, she's always cared most about music. When her time on Nickelodeon ended, the performer dove fully into music, and she released her debut studio album "Yours Truly" as "Sam & Cat" was wrapping up. With the new era came a new style of hair, one that felt a little more authentic to Grande. As for her hair, the "Yours Truly" era was defined by the debut of Grande's side bangs, which she notably pinned back for the music video for the album's lead single "The Way."

"Yours Truly" didn't end with the album; Ariana Grande also went on tour in promotion of the record. And for the tour, Grande wore her hair in a style that's become one of her most iconic — half pulled back in a ponytail. The style matched perfectly with the sonic tone and visual aesthetic of the album, and it's a style that Grande has since returned to on occasion. Grande's half ponytail has been sported both with her side bangs and without.

In 2016, Ariana Grande released "Dangerous Woman," an album that's still one of her most popular. With the album came another new look from Grande, and it was predicated on a new hair style: a full ponytail. Moving from a half ponytail to a full ponytail made a huge difference, and when asked about the style, she said how much she loved it. "Every time I put my hair up, it's like a surprise. Like, I forget how much I love it," she told Byrdie, per Teen Vogue.

Ariana Grande has made plenty of hair mistakes throughout her career, but dyeing it blonde was not one of them ... at least not aesthetically. In 2018, Grande dyed her hair from her natural brown to a gorgeous blonde, proving she can rock any hair color. The star arrived at some notable events with the new hair color, including Coachella, where she delivered a surprise performance of her song "No Tears Left to Cry," and the Met Gala, where she stunned in a Vera Wang gown for the "Heavenly Bodies: Fashion and the Catholic Imagination" theme.

Sometimes a singer needs to return to her roots. Such was the case for Ariana Grande when she released her hit single "thank u, next." In the 2000s movies-themed music video, Grande returned to her natural roots and slayed the switch from blonde to brunette. The pop star's brown locks were a major departure from the blonde she had been rocking up until that point. She did sport a blonde wig in the scenes where she played Regina George, but her flaxen tresses were a thing of the past... or so we thought.

No look feels as quintessentially Ariana Grande as a high ponytail. When she embarked on her "Sweetener / Thank U Next Tour," Grande brought it back to her version of basics by styling her hair in her iconic high and voluminous updo. The year prior, Grande acknowledged her ponytail transformation, singing the updated version's praises. "The pony has also gone through an evolution, and I'm proud of that. Old pony? I don't know if she's that girl. But new pony? I like her," Grande told Fader.

When the pandemic hit in 2020, just about everyone was urged to stay home. Without having anywhere to go, Ariana Grande, as evidenced by some since-deleted Instagram posts, let her hair remain in its natural state, brown and curly, a rarity for the singer. In an interview Grande gave at the time, she explained why she's typically reluctant to show her natural hair. "I think I have a hard time marrying [my natural hair] to the music ... I have kind of created this persona ... I don't know if I love it for work," she said.

Coming out of the pandemic, Ariana Grande unveiled yet another new hair style. She kept her natural dark color and often wore her hair in a ponytail, but this time Grande kept the length a little shorter. Though not particularly short, the length wasn't as significant as ponytails in years past. The era of hair saw Grande through the release of her sixth studio album, "Positions," as well as a stint as a coach on "The Voice."

In late 2021, it was announced that Ariana Grande had been cast as Glinda in the screen adaptation of "Wicked." The role was a dream come true for the pop superstar. So much so, she apparently didn't think twice about dyeing her hair blonde for the role, as well as her eyebrows. "Even though I was wearing wigs, I needed to be blonde, too, [because there's] a softness that Glinda has with the lighter brows. It didn't make any sense when I had my dark brows," she told Vogue.

In 2024, Ariana Grande kept up her Glinda appearances as much as possible while promoting the "Wicked" movie with Cynthia Erivo. Along with the blonde hair, Grande wore lots of pink for the press tour, as that's Glinda's signature color. The singer noted that the role of Glinda had seeped into her life through more than just her hair color. "Pink was never really a part of my life until I started collecting a lot of pink pieces during the audition process," Grande told Vogue.