Ariana Grande has shared a sweet birthday message to her younger self in honour of turning 30 years old.
The Wicked star took to Instagram on 26 June to wish herself a happy birthday, alongside a throwback photo of a young Ariana Grande dressed in a Dorothy Gale costume from the Wizard of Oz.
“hbd [happy birthday], tiny!” Grande captioned her Instagram post. “i trust you implicitly & have never been prouder of you”.
The Nickelodeon alum included the number “30” in her post, along with several bubble emojis – seemingly referencing her upcoming role as Glinda the Good Witch in the Wicked musical movie adaptation, which is due for release in November 2024.
Many fans and friends of the “Thank U, Next” singer shared their heartfelt birthday wishes for Grande in the comments.
Cynthia Erivo, who stars as Elphaba in the 2024 film, wrote under her post: “Happy birthday babylove, it is a joy to be in yours [sic] life at this moment in time. May the light you experience from the growth you have allowed yourself keep growing and glowing!! I love you, here’s to many more years my love.”
The Kardashians star Kris Jenner commented, “Happy Birthday sending lots of love!!!”, while Queer Eye star Jonathan Van Ness said: “Happiest birthday honey!!”
Actor Jennifer Garner referenced her iconic film, 13 Going on 30, when she commented: “If you’re not flirty and thriving, I don’t know who is—happy birthday, @arianagrande !! XX”
Meanwhile, Grande’s best friend and former Victorious co-star Elizabeth Gillies said, “Omg. Happy 30th. I love you.”
Ariana Grande’s 30th birthday post comes amid a whirlwind year for the actor and singer. Last April, the “positions” singer issued a rare comment about body image after fans shared much speculation about her health.
In a TikTok video, Grande addressed recent body-shaming comments she had received and discussed the mental health toll that such negative remarks have on someone. “I think we could be, I think we should be, gentler and less comfortable commenting on people’s bodies, no matter what,” Grande said in the clip. “If you think you’re saying something good or well-intentioned, whatever it is — healthy, unhealthy, big, small, this, that, sexy, not sexy — we just shouldn’t. We should really work towards not doing that as much.”
The “7 Rings” singer also asked her fans to stop comparing her current body to the one she had when they considered her most healthy. “Personally for me, the body that you’ve been comparing my current body to was the unhealthiest version of my body,” she said. “I was on a lot of antidepressants, and drinking on them, and eating poorly, and at the lowest points of my life when I looked the way you consider ‘my healthy,’ but that in fact wasn’t my healthy.”
The Grammy-winner artist admitted that she “shouldn’t have to explain” that different types of bodies are beautiful, and that she chose to address critics in the hopes that she can help change the conversation around bodies.
“You never know what someone is going through,” Grande said. “So even if you are coming from a loving place and a caring place, that person probably is working on it or has a support system they are working on it with.”
There’s also been much anticipation surrounding her role as Glinda the Good Witch in the upcoming Wicked movie. Earlier this year, several videos leaked of Grande singing on the set of Wicked in Glinda’s pink costume. While it was difficult to make out what Grande was singing, many fans instantly applauded her “angelic voice” and impressive range of high notes.
The first part of the Wicked movie will be released on 27 November 2024, followed by part two on 26 November 2025.
