Before 21-year-old Ariana Grande was the pop star she is today...
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The "Problem" singer was just a little-known (and very different looking) 16-year-old actress with a supporting role on the Nickelodeon show, "Victorious."
Nickelodeon/"Victorious"
Grande appeared on 57 episodes of the kid-friendly show between 2010 and 2013, and she was paid a pretty penny to do so.
Because she was a minor at the time of her casting, TMZ was able to obtain a copy of her contract, which had to be filed with the courts.
According to the docs, Grande raked in $9,000 per episode for the first season - not terrible for a then-unknown 16-year-old.
TMZ reports that Grande earned additional amounts for her musical contributions to the show:
- $4,000 for a theme song,
- $3,000 for a song played in various episodes
- $1,500 for a 20-second "ditty"
Grande's contract also guaranteed that other than the show's leading stars like Victoria Justice, no one would have a better dressing room than hers.
TMZ also found a music contract of Grande's to record up to five albums "with a guarantee that starts at $50,000 for the first album and goes up from there."
Today, Grande's net worth is estimated to be around $10 million. Her 2013 debut full length album "Yours Truly" briefly hit No.1 on the US Billboard top 200 chart and that year reportedly sold 200,000 copies.
Grande also has income from her short-lived Nickelodeon series "Sam & Cat," as well as touring revenues from her own concerts and opening for Justin Bieber on his "Believe" tour.
Grande also reportedly comes from a well-off family, who are based in Boca Raton, Fla. Her father, Edward Butera, is the CEO of a successful design company, Ibi Designs Inc., which counts FAO Schwarz and Eddie Murphy among its clients.