When Ariana Grande was a toddler, she was odd enough that her mother was afraid her daughter would become a serial killer.
But as far as we know, the 21-year-old has a clean criminal record, and she's been one of pop's biggest rising stars over the past year thanks to the single "Problem" and a host of other collaborations.
Grande - who said she was "a very weird little girl" - opened up about her wonky past in a recent interview with Billboard.
"I always wanted to have skeleton face paint on or be wearing a Freddy Krueger mask, and I would carry a hockey stick around. I was like a mini-Helena Bonham Carter," she said. "For my fifth birthday party we had a Jaws theme and all my friends left crying. I mean, I still am that way. But when I was little it was more concerning. There was a stage, when I was 3 or 4, where my mom thought I might grow up to be a serial killer."
But instead of a life of crime, Grande embraced a work-heavy lifestyle, and she now calls herself a "micromanaging workhorse."
Early on, community theater was her showbiz outlet. That led to her first casting in a Broadway show at the age of 13. Then, she picked up a supporting role in Nickelodeon's teen sitcom Victorious before later landing a starring role in the spinoff, Sam & Cat.
Her place in the music business was sealed at the age of 17, when Republic Records chairman/CEO Monte Lipman signed her after watching her YouTube covers of Whitney Houston and Mariah Carey.
Now, Grande barely has time to reminisce. She's already planning a new tour and — as always — orking on fresh material.
Her dream duet? Madonna.
"Oh my God, my heart would stop," she said. "She is strength, she is freedom, she is wisdom beyond anybody's comprehension."
Read the full interview here.
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