At 18, Ariana Grande already knows her future.
“I’m going to be an 80-year-old lady looking through a book of my Tweets,” she said.
Grande, who’s known as the burgundy-haired Cat Valentine on the TV show “Victorious,” documents her life every day. Whether it’s a video of her doing impeccable Shakira impressions or a picture of her behind the scenes, the update goes on Twitter. It’s a natural part of her day.
“I don’t ever want to forget anything.”
Once filming for the Nickelodeon show wraps up in July, Grande will focus on releasing her long-awaited debut album with Universal Republic Records.
“I’ve put my everything into it,” she said. “I don’t keep a journal anymore; it’s all my music.”
Though finishing the record has been a slow process, Grande said she couldn’t be prouder of the progress.
She describes the tracklist as her life over the past eight months with a melody. It’s honest, romantic, relatable and young with some throwbacks.
Grande is incorporating Motown and ‘50s-‘60s pop on the album, a complement to her soulful vocals.
“Put Your Hearts Up,” her warm, uplifting first single, entered the pop charts at No. 25 last winter.
“’Put Your Hearts Up’ is about love and kindness, especially because my fans are at an age when acceptance is scary and rare, and kids are harsh toward one another,” Grande said. “It’s a sweet, simple message, but it means a lot to me.”
She emulates that positivity in her role on “Victorious.” Grande plays Cat, an adorable, always-smiling, sometimes-ditzy student at Hollywood Arts High School.
The show, which is now in its third season, recently took home a Nickelodeon Kids’ Choice Award for Favorite TV Show.
“We died,” Grande said. Her mouth remained wide open -- hand glued to her chest -- as the cast walked up to accept the award.
“I really, really couldn’t be happier,” Grande said. “It’s not possible.”
Her performing status began rising at 15, when she starred as Charlotte in the Broadway musical “13” (along with her “Victorious” costar Elizabeth Gillies). Grande won a National Youth Theatre Association Award the following year.
When she had to move from her hometown of Boca Raton to New York, Grande didn’t fret. In fact, it was a comfortable transition.
Grande and her best friend of eight years were cast in the musical.
Now, Grande soaks in as much of home as possible when visiting South Florida. She’ll always find time for the Town Center at Boca and eating at Stir Crazy every night.
“It’s my favorite restaurant in the whole entire world,” she said. “I don’t understand why they don’t have one in LA.”
People can also find Grande running around the town center screaming with friends, eating chocolate-covered bananas and “making fools” of themselves.
Grande was never the shy type.
She created a YouTube page, Freaky Forever, at age 12. On it are music videos by her and friends in Boca Raton. Some videos include dancing around her room. The videos now have over a million views thanks to Grande’s recent fame.
“That’s why I love being Internet-obsessed: memories.”
As her presence skyrockets this year, one thing remains constant in Grande’s life: her passion for performing.
She plans on releasing two more singles and music videos before her album release.
As custom, Grande guarantees steady amounts of updates and footage from the studio.
“I was really happy on Broadway, I’m happy on TV and I’m happy making music,” she said. “I just want to be creating and entertaining as long as I live.”
Ariana Grande might be young, but she certainly knows where she’s going in life.
