When "Victorious" premiered on Nickelodeon in March 2010, Ariana Grande became known as the bubbly, spacey, red-haired Cat Valentine, a high schooler with a prodigious voice.
The following year, she released her debut single — and less than three years later, Grande had seamlessly pivoted to a full-time music career. Though it took some time to carve her own unique space in a crowded industry, she now boasts seven studio albums, 15 Grammy nominations, and a reputation as an illustrious, intrepid pop icon.
Business Insider's senior music reporter weighed factors like listenability, lyrical quality, production value, and critic reception to come up with the 17 best and 17 worst songs of the singer's career thus far.