I use them all the time personally,

but they publicly made their debut in this video as well.

They're very useful though.

[upbeat music]

Hi, Allure, it's Ariana Grande.

And today I'm gonna be breaking down

some of my most iconic videos.

By the way, they told me to use the word iconic.

I didn't assume that.

[people laughing]

♪ Head in the clouds ♪

♪ Got no weight on my shoulders ♪

So this video was directed by The Young Astronauts,

by my friend Nev.

And she and I collaborated on this concept.

I really love the '60s.

I've always loved that era for glamour, for wardrobe,

for aesthetic, film, choreography, everything.

The dancing scene in this video was actually

inspired by "Sweet Charity," and the wardrobe,

it's pretty, almost identical.

But yeah, I really, I love that era.

So we had a lot of fun dipping a toe in here,

and then I never kinda dipped any toes out

for the rest of my life.

Also, I love Iggy's glam here.

I loved her makeup, I loved her hair.

It was funny 'cause my ponytail in this scene

was actually not that high or teased.

And like five minutes before we rolled,

I was like, this looks too, eh.

And then I just went in the mirror, and I just grabbed it,

and I was like, went like this.

And I brought it up really high.

And I sort of, okay, we don't need

a bunch of memes of me going like this anywhere,

but it's okay, it's too late.

So [beeps] it.

♪ If you want it ♪

♪ Take it ♪

This is one of my favorite videos.

This one is "Break Free," directed by Chris Marrs.

I had the time of my life shooting this video.

I loved this makeup.

Kris Buckle did this makeup.

He put a bunch of stickers from Michaels or something

on my face, and they definitely

weren't supposed to be there.

I think Dalina did this hair,

and Johnny Wujek did this wardrobe.

It was a beautiful, fun video.

I've always loved vintage interpretations of space,

and like what the future looks like,

but in the '50s or '60s,

I always thought that was so cool.

Big "Barbarella" fan, obviously.

I continue to channel her as much as possible.

There's a really cool deleted scene

on the internet somewhere, where we recreated

the who shot first scene from "Star Wars,"

which was really fun as well.

My rocket titties made their debut here.

I use them all the time personally,

but they publicly made their debut in this video as well.

They're very useful though.

♪ 'Cause it you want to keep me ♪

♪ You gotta, gotta, gotta, gotta, got to ♪

"Love Me Harder," 2014, featuring The Weeknd.

This was our first time collaborating.

It was really fun.

This concept didn't feel very personal to me,

as I'm sitting in a old chair in some sand,

and I end up in water for some reason.

I'm dressed as some sort of whorish kitten.

I love the look in it, I love the look.

I kinda gave up the reins here

and was just kind of like, go for it.

And then I really fought Hannah for the kitty ears.

I'm really glad that I did though,

'cause I really like them.

I think it would've felt almost too serious

without the ears for me.

♪ I'm talking to you ♪

♪ See you standing over there wit' your body ♪

So this is "Side to Side," featuring Nicki Minaj, 2016.

We were going back and forth and back and forth about

what should this concept be?

And I remember I was on the treadmill

thinking and listening to my playlist

of what was becoming the "Dangerous Woman" album.

And I got to "Side to Side," and I was like,

why does this feel so fun to listen to on the treadmill?

And I FaceTimed Hannah, and I said,

we should be on SoulCycle bikes.

And she was like, [gasps], I'll call you back.

And then pulled together all these dope visual references.

She was like, you and Nikki have to be in the sauna.

I don't love the look with the leggings

and the stringy bra thing.

But I love the other ones.

I love the one on the bike.

The one in the leggings feels like I was forced into it.

I probably was. [laughs]

♪ Right now I'm in a state of mind ♪

This one is "No Tears Left to Cry,"

2018, directed by Dave Meyers.

This was a really fun video,

simply because of how much preparation went into it.

The rotating set that we had to build

to create the first scene took so long to get used to.

And we rehearsed the day before, and it was so much fun.

I pitched Dave this idea of sort of

multiple fields of gravity

because of a game I was playing at the time

called Monument Valley on my phone.

I told him how much I love Escher's stairs

and stuff like that.

And we sort of mushed everything together

and created the "Sweetener,"

what really was sort of like the centerpiece

for the "Sweetener" album and era.

Which was this sort of play on being upside down

and not knowing what is right and what is up.

Because also personally, in my life at the time,

I was sort of upside down,

and not knowing where the ground was,

and not feeling very grounded or okay.

So yeah, I felt like that was a really nice,

cool way to visually represent

what I was feeling during those moments, really.

The fashion here is really fun.

I loved the polka dot umbrella dress, I really loved that.

I remember feeling so joyful in that.

This was styled by Law Roach.

And I loved these looks, I think they're so much fun.

♪ You believe God is a woman ♪

"God is a Woman," 2018, also directed by Dave Meyers.

This was such a fun video to do.

This was glam by Ash and Josh,

and styled by Mimi Cuttrell.

This one was so much fun because obviously

there are so many beautiful ways to express femininity

and what it is to be a woman.

And there's so many things to lean into as far as

paying homage to art that already exists,

and also creating our own.

So yeah, we had a lot of fun with this.

One of my favorite moments is probably

when I'm fingering the Earth, loved that a lot.

I also loved recreating the moment,

the Michelangelo moment, at the end,

because I was able to tease that we were

putting that in this video at the Met Gala

when I worked with Vera Wang on my dress.

I like that connection, to me, that was,

that felt exciting, and I felt giddy knowing.

And then I love that sort of watercolor [beeps]

that I'm swimming in, in the beginning.

I think it's so beautiful.

Alexa Meade did that art on my sort of face,

and hair, and boobs, and in the water as well.

That is not random paint, it's not a pool.

That's [beeps] for sure.

♪ Thought I'd end up with Sean ♪

♪ But he wasn't a match ♪

This is "Thank You, Next" from 2018.

I loved this video so much.

The funny thing about this is that

we were working on the "Breathin" video,

Hannah and I were in New York

filming the video for "Breathin."

"Breathin" kind of was like the tail end

single of "Sweetener" 'cause it kind of,

life thrust me into the "Thank You, Next" album era.

I didn't have any plan of moving on that time, anytime soon,

but I kinda had to do that album

as an artist to feel better.

And I really was ready to move on.

And we were working on "Breathin," and I was like, [gasps],

we have to recreate all my favorite scenes

from all my favorite movies,

and make the "Thank You, Next" video.

Like next month we have to do it.

And she was like, holy [beeps].

Like, nobody is more right to do this with than Hannah.

She turned something that felt so torrential at the time

in my life into something that felt fun and light,

at least while we were doing it,

and while we were making it.

And what I got to share with the world

felt bright and beautiful.

Playing Regina George was really fun.

Playing Elle Woods was really fun.

Playing Jenna Rink was a dream come true.

I couldn't believe it, Jennifer Garner even reposted it.

And I love her so much.

I loved being able to work with Jennifer Coolidge on this.

She actually recreated all of her looks

from "Legally Blonde" for this,

which was the biggest honor of my entire life.

I worship her.

I'm a humongous comedy person.

I, my favorite movie is "Best in Show,"

and she happens to be in that as well.

You should see the outtakes, they're so funny.

She was like, I met a guy with no teeth.

I made out with him, it was so weird.

And then I saw him under the covers, he was doing something.

And I was like, trying to keep a straight face.

And she was like, have you ever kissed a guy with no teeth?

♪ Heaven sent you to me ♪

"Positions," 2020.

I love this video so much.

I love this glam, I love this styling.

This makeup was by Manthony and my hair was by Josh Liu.

This styling was Mimi Cuttrell.

This was directed by Dave Meyers again.

And conceptualized by my husband.

We were in the car driving home,

and Dalton just turned to me and was like,

what if you were the president?

And I was like, [gasps], you're perfect.

I called Dave.

This was literally three days away from the shoot,

I wanna say.

And we just like, he made it happen.

I also love the women that are in this video with me.

It was really cool just to sort of paint this picture

in a feminine way, and just say, you know,

why couldn't it look like that?

Why couldn't it even look half like that? [beeps]

♪ So what you doing tonight? ♪

♪ Better say, doing you right ♪

♪ Watching movies, but we ain't seen ♪

"34+35," 2020, directed by Director X.

Michael did this makeup again.

And Josh did this hair again.

And this was styled by Mimi again.

This was another one where we took

inspiration from that '60s sci-fi.

Again, that old horror '60s thing

is my favorite aesthetic in the world.

So we tried to make it sort of emulate that

with the drippy letters and stuff.

I, yeah, feel so lucky to have done this.

And choreographed by Brian and Scott Nicholson as well.

This choreography is so silly and fun,

but like also so chic.

I've worked with them my whole career.