Ariana Grande-Butera (born on June 26, 1993), known professionally as Ariana Grande, is an American actress, singer, and songwriter. She reached mainstream music success in March 2013 after her single “The Way”  (featuring Mac Miller) from her debut studio album Yours Truly became a Top 40 hit. The album was released September 3, 2013. Her voice has often been compared to those of Mariah Carey and Whitney Houston. Her music is generally pop and contemporary rhythm and blues, and has some features of funk, dance, and hip hop. Besides Carey and Houston, she is also influenced by Christina Aguilera, India.Arie, Brandy, and Imogen Heap.  Ariana Grande was born and raised in Boca Raton, FL; the daughter of Joan Grande and Edward Butera. She made her acting debut in 2008 in the role of Charlotte in the musical 13 on Broadway, for which she won a National Youth Theatre Association Award. She is of Italian descent and has an older brother, Frankie, who is also an actor.  At the age of 10, Ariana Grande co-founded the youth singing group, Kids Who Care, in South Florida, which performed for charitable fund-raising events, raising over $500,000 for charities in 2007 alone. In the summer of 2009, as a member of the charitable organization, Broadway in South Africa, Grande performed and taught music and dance to children in Gugulethu, South Africa along with Frankie. From 2010 until 2013, Ariana Grande played Cat Valentine on the Nickelodeon sitcom Victorious, iCarly (2011), and is reprising the role on the spinoff Sam & Cat.