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It is quite difficult for many of us to isolate our favorite actors from the roles they are playing, and this one tendency of the fans is something the celebrities truly fear, at least in the case of Ariana Grande. 

The Nickelodeon starlet became very popular in the late 2000s as she took on the role of Cat. While now the actress is totally indistinguishable without her iconic high ponytail and thigh-high boots that so many people associate with, back in her Nickelodeon days, her character was well recognized for her bright red hair and cheerful outfits on the Nick show. 

Ariana herself was not too comfortable or sure about changing her appearance from the one that was so admired by all her fans to her real identity as she thought of herself. Bringing about her personal style on stage was scary for the actress and singer, as she revealed to Eric Vetro on his podcast backstage Pass with Eric Vetro. Her character as Cat was widely acclaimed from the Nickelodeon show Sam & Cat, and the trek from being an actress to a recording artist was certainly not an easy one. 

As she opened up with Eric Vetro about her struggle after her Nickelodeon days were over and wanted to start something new for herself, she revealed that emerging as her authentic self in front of the audience was a 'terrifying' idea. She once told People, "In the way beginning, putting out 'The Way' was very freeing and terrifying for me because I was so convinced that I had to be one thing — because people knew me from my show that I was doing from Nickelodeon and I was playing a character that a lot of people knew me as." the "34+35." 

Continuing, the singer said, "I was kinda terrified to do what I actually wanted and make the music that I actually wanted to make — and have my brown hair, wear thigh-high boots [and be] what I wanted to be." But at long last, the actress turned singer did find her confidence and ditched her red hair for her legendary ponytail. Grande conceded, "That was a really big moment for me, putting out my first single on my first album and taking that risk from the way beginning too. It was a really incredible turning point for me."

Credits: L'officiel Arabia

Now, years later, Ariana Grande is synonymous with oversized sweatshirts, long nails, thigh-high boots, and a long, high ponytail. Her music career has been a remarkably successful endeavor after her acting days as Cat Valentine, and the singer has released cult-favorite hit singles since then. 

One other reason for Ariana to be scared of leaving Cat behind and emerging as Ariana was that portraying the character for a period of a long time had made her relate with the role and affected her identity as she grew into a young adult. The charming and kind personality of Cat became Ariana's hallmark of a good person as she saw the role garner a lot of love and admiration from fans. 

But as the original series and then its spinoff came to an end, Ariana had to begin anew but not before a heartwarming farewell to the character. Ariana admitted that she "hid behind" the character for a long time to try to be as eccentric and kind as Cat was. 

The actress wrote on Facebook, "I want to thank (series creator) Dan Schneider for allowing me to play such a special, beautiful character who I hid behind for so long. What I mean by that is when I was younger, people loved Cat so much I used to pretend to be more like her."

Continuing on her struggle to find a separate identity for herself apart from on-screen portrayal, she said, "It took me a long time to be brave enough to separate myself and show people how different we actually are." She conveyed that she was in awe of the character, saying: "I think that's honestly because I admire her so much. Her appreciation for life and everybody she encounters. Her passion and genuine excitement for the little things that most people dread like school projects and work. She always saw negative obstacles as opportunities to make things good."

She ended the note with: "I will always hold Cat near and dear to my heart and appreciate her help in my personal growth from teenager to adult."

Nevertheless, the "Positions" singer sure found her footing and unique personality over time that she so proudly owns now. Apart from her many successful singles like "34+35," "Thank U, Next", and more, the singer now also has the honor to serve as a coach on The Voice show this season. She now stars in the season along with other phenomenal artists like John Legend, Kelly Clarkson, and Blake Shelton. 

Credits: USA Today

Ariana is also quite open about her initial days in the singing world and owes the credit of her extraordinary work to Chenoweth. She said,  "I learned everything I know from watching this woman. When we were doing Hairspray Live, you would pitch a joke, or like, a melody change here and there, and ask, 'Does this add value?' As a performer, to me, that changed my life entirely."