Long before the "7 Rings" era or the blonde Glinda transformation, there was a girl with a very high voice and even brighter red hair. Honestly, looking back at Ariana Grande in 2012 feels like looking at a different human being. She wasn't the untouchable pop titan we know today.
She was a Nickelodeon star.
Specifically, she was Cat Valentine, the lovable but slightly dizzy girl on Victorious. If you were on the internet in 2012, you probably remember her as the one who constantly dyed her hair a "red velvet" shade. It looked great on TV. Behind the scenes? It was a nightmare.
Ariana has since been very open about how that year—and the years surrounding it—basically destroyed her hair. She had to bleach and redye it every other week. By late 2012, she was already trying to pivot. She started darkening the red. She was desperate to find her own voice outside of a script.
The "Put Your Hearts Up" Dilemma
2012 was the year Ariana officially tried to be a pop star. She released "Put Your Hearts Up" right at the tail end of 2011, but the promotion and the fallout really happened throughout 2012.
It was bubblegum. It was sugary. It was... not her.
If you watch the music video now, she’s wearing a giant pink dress and looks like a literal princess. Ariana has famously disowned this song. She’s called it "cringeworthy." She even said it felt like a song Cat Valentine would release, not Ariana Grande. In an interview with Zach Sang years later, she joked that she wanted to "scrub it from the internet."
She wasn't lying.
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But 2012 wasn't all just "failed" singles. She was working like a madwoman. Between filming Victorious and doing vocal production in the studio, she was trying to figure out what she actually liked. She spent 2012 recording covers of Adele and Whitney Houston. These weren't just for fun; they were her resume. She was proving to the world (and Republic Records) that she had the "soulful" voice she wasn't allowed to use on Nickelodeon.
From Hollywood Arts to Sam & Cat
While the music world was figuring her out, her TV career was in a weird spot. Victorious was winding down. The show actually won Favorite TV Show at the 2012 Kids' Choice Awards, but the writing was on the wall.
By September 18, 2012, she started filming the pilot for Sam & Cat.
This was a massive shift. She was leaving the ensemble cast of Victorious to co-lead a show with Jennette McCurdy. It was a big deal for a teenager. But you could tell her heart was moving toward the recording studio. She spent her weekends writing with 3OH!3 and Rock Mafia. She was also collaborating with Mika on "Popular Song," which eventually became a sleeper hit.
Why 2012 Actually Matters
Most people skip over Ariana Grande in 2012 when they talk about her career. They jump straight to 2013 and "The Way."
That’s a mistake.
2012 was the "grind" year. It was the year she learned what she didn't want to be. She didn't want to be a bubblegum princess. She didn't want to be a permanent redhead. She was laying the groundwork for the R&B-infused pop that would make her a billionaire.
She even started her signature half-up, half-down ponytail in 2012. Why? Because her hair was so "ratchet" and broken from the red dye that she couldn't wear it down anymore. A fashion icon was born out of literal necessity.
If you’re looking to understand her trajectory, don't look at the Grammys. Look at 2012. Look at the girl who was doing "Dinner with Ariana" meet-and-greets at malls in Arizona and Vancouver. She was building a fanbase one person at a time.
How to Channel That 2012 Energy
If you're a creator or a fan, there's a real lesson here. Ariana in 2012 was "stuck" in a contract and a character that didn't fit her. She didn't quit. She used her YouTube channel to show her true self while playing the character on TV.
- Don't be afraid to pivot. She hated her first single. She didn't let it define her.
- Work on your craft in the shadows. She was training her voice every night after filming.
- Engage with people. Her 2012 Twitter (now X) was a masterclass in building a community.
Next time you hear a hit on the radio, remember the girl with the red hair in 2012 who was just trying to get someone to listen to her R&B demos.
Actionable Insight: If you're trying to rebrand yourself, start by building a "secondary" platform (like her YouTube covers) while you're still finishing your current project. It makes the transition feel natural rather than forced.