Ariana Grande shatters her 20th Guinness World Records title following success of hit single “Positions”

By Kristen Stephenson
Published
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Pop icon Ariana Grande is no stranger to success, and she has the Guinness World Records titles to prove it.  

After spending over a decade in the spotlight, the singer has officially broken 20 monumental record titles that have put her in the ranks with music legends Mariah Carey, Rihanna, and The Beatles.  

The list of accolades spans from her chart-topping music to her global fan base of “Arianators” - who have not only helped her to shatter social media records, but also maintain her ultimate status as the “Princess of Pop”.  

Grande’s raw vocals and talent in her recent album, Positions, have now earned the artist her 20th Guinness World Records title, breaking the record for most songs to debut at number one on the Billboard Hot 100.  

Once her single “Positions” reached No. 1 as of 7 November 2020, the singer achieved a total of five songs that have obtained the coveted spot on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. Her other chart-topping hits include “thank u, next” (17 November 2018), “7 rings” (2 February 2019), “Stuck with U” (feat. Justin Bieber; 23 May 2020), and “Rain on Me” (Lady Gaga feat. Ariana Grande; 6 June 2020). 

What makes her recent record achievement so extraordinary is that Grande is currently the only artist to have accomplished this in history.  

The closest music acts to near her latest feat are Mariah Carey (1995-97), Drake (2018-20), Justin Bieber (2015-20), Travis Scott (2019-20), and Taylor Swift (2014-20), who all debuted at No.1 with only three tracks, while Britney Spears (2009-11), Lady Gaga (2011-20) and BTS (2020) have done so twice. 

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Her triumphs come off the back of the impressive strides she has made in the entertainment business, which began in her teens.  

Grande’s first big break as an actress was through her role as the lovable red-headed teen Cat, who starred on Nickelodeon’s musical show Victorious. In 2013, she received her own spin-off show with co-star Jennette McCurdy, while simultaneously launching her career as a professional singer under Republic Records.   

When she fully emerged into the music industry, her tremendous vocals earned a spot on the Billboard Top 100, a triumph achieved with her breakout single “The Way,” which featured late rapper, Mac Miller on her first album Yours Truly.  

It was only a matter of time before her whistle notes and high-energy performances became regularly featured on radio, television, and eventually, packed concerts.  

She’s released eight albums since that early start, including Yours Truly, My Everything, Christmas & Chill, Dangerous Woman, Sweetener, Thank U, Next, and her latest, Positions.  

The momentum of Grande’s music over the years has led to an impact in the pop music world, especially on tracks featuring well-known performers such as The Weeknd, Justin Bieber, Iggy Azalea, Nicki Minaj, and more.  

Shortly after releasing her hit album Sweetener in 2018, the Florida-born artist dropped Thank U, Next, the record that skyrocketed her career and led to a flurry of more record titles and achievements in the music industry.  

The pop sensation now has many achievements under her belt including Billboard’s Women in Music Woman of the Year, and several awards from the VMAs, AMAs, GRAMMYs, and more.  

However, it’s Grande’s emotional and personal music creations (which are often based on events in her life) that have driven her relatability and authenticity among an international audience.  

Thanks to these qualities in her music, her passionate fans, and worldwide success - she now holds milestone records such as most followers on Instagram (female) at 219+ million followers, most monthly listeners on Spotify (female) at 76.7+ million monthly listeners, and most followers on Spotify (female) with 54+ million followers.  

She was second overall to Ed Sheeran on the music platform, who holds over 73 million followers. 

In the fashion realm, Grande’s iconic style has also made her one of the most recognizable celebrities in the industry, from her commanding ponytail to her brightly coloured baby doll dresses.  

Her tattoos have even caught global attention, with one of her designs earning the record for most popular Eevee tattoo.  

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As a result of her eminent style and musical prowess, the “34 + 35” singer currently holds all of the following Guinness World Records titles:  

  1. Most streamed track on Spotify in one week (female)– "7 rings", with 71,467,874 streams on Spotify for the week ending 24 January 2019. 
  2. Most followers on Spotify (female)– 54+ million followers as of 13 December 2020. 
  3. First solo act to occupy top three positions simultaneously on US singles chart – With “7 Rings” at No.1, “Break up with Your Girlfriend, I’m Bored” at No.2, and “Thank U, Next” at No.3 on the Billboard Hot 100 dated 23 February 2019. Since the first Hot 100 chart was published on 4 August 1958, only one other act has monopolized the top three positions in a single week: The Beatles (UK), who did it for five weeks between 14 March and 25 April 1964. 
  4. Fastest hat-trick of UK No.1 singles by a female artist – 98 days with songs “Thank U, Next”, “7 Rings”, and ““Break up with Your Girlfriend, I’m Bored”.  
  5. Most simultaneous Top 40 entries on US singles chart by a female artist – On the Billboard Hot 100 dated 23 February 2019, Ariana Grande had 11 tracks in the Top 40 – all but one of the songs from her No.1 album Thank U, Next. As well as occupying the top three positions with “7 Rings”, “Break up with Your Girlfriend, I’m Bored” and “Thank U, Next”, Grande debuted with “Needy” (No.14), “NASA” (No.17), “Imagine” (No.21), “Bloodline” (No.22), “Ghostin” (No.25), “Fake Smile” (No.26), “Bad Idea” (No.27) and “In My Head” (No.38) 
  6. First female artist to replace herself at No.1 on UK singles chart– Grande spent three weeks at No.1 on the UK’s Official Singles Chart with “7 Rings” before knocking herself off the top with “Break up with Your Girlfriend, I’m Bored”, on 21 February 2019. In the 66-year history of the UK singles chart, no female had previously replaced herself at No.1 
  7. Most streamed track on Spotify in one week– 71,467,874 streams, with “7 Rings”. 
  8. First solo artist to replace themselves at No.1 on UK singles chart for two consecutive weeks– Ariana Grande spent three weeks at No.1 on the UK’s Official Singles Chart with “7 Rings” before knocking herself off the top with “Break up with Your Girlfriend, I’m Bored” on 21 February 2019, and then replacing herself at No.1 again with “7 Rings” on 28 February 2019. In the 66-year history of the UK singles chart, Grande was the first solo artist and only the second act of any description to achieve the feat in successive weeks, after UK instrumental group The Shadows in 1963. 
  9. Most popular Eevee tattoo– Ariana Grande's love for Pokemon went next-level when she posted a pic of her new Eevee tattoo to Snapchat on 14 Jan 2019. The black-and-white homage has since been approved by 12,146 of the pop star's Snapchat followers. 
  10. Most subscribers for a musician on YouTube (female) – 41.1 million subscribers.  
  11. Most MTV VMA nominations for Best Collaboration – 6 nominations, as of 30 July 2020. Ariana Grande ties this title with singer Rihanna.  
  12. Most followers on Instagram for a female musician– 219+ million followers as of 31 January 2021.  
  13. Most followers on Instagram for a female – 219+ million followers as of 31 January 2021.  
  14. Most streamed album by a female artist in one week (USA) – Thank U, Next by Ariana Grande (USA) attracted 307 million on-demand audio streams in the US I n the week following the album’s release on 8 February 2019. In total, the 12 tracks from the album had been streamed 166,408,992 times on Spotify as of 14 February 2019, with only “Make Up” attracting less than 10 million spins for the week. 
  15. Most streamed album by a female artist in one week (UK) –Thank U, Next by Ariana Grande attracted 59 million on-demand audio streams in the UK in the week following the album’s release on 8 February 2019, surpassing the 45 million album-equivalent units posted by her previous album, Sweetener, when it landed at No.1 on 30 August 2018. 
  16. Most streamed pop album in one week (USA)–Thank U, Next attracted 307 million on-demand audio streams in the US in the week following the album’s release on 8 February 2019, easily surpassing the 126.7 million streams for Ed Sheeran’s ÷ (Divide) when it landed at No.1 on 25 March 2017. 
  17. Most streamed track in one week by a female artist on the Billboard charts – "thank u, next" was streamed 93,800,000 times for the week ending 6 December 2018. 
  18. Most monthly listeners on Spotify for a female – 76,729,036 monthly listeners.  
  19. Most streamed act on Spotify (female) – As of 13 December 2020, tracks by Ariana Grande have been streamed 21.6 billion times on Spotify. “7 rings” and “thank u, next”, the 10th and 11th tracks on her 2019 album Thank U, Next, are Grande’s most popular recordings with 1.32 billion and 1.22 billion streams registered, respectively. “7 rings” is Spotify’s most streamed track in a single week, posting 71,467,874 streams for the week ending 24 January 2019. 
  20. Most songs to debut at number one on the Billboard Hot 100 – Grande has a total of five No.1 debuts on the US Hot 100 singles chart: “thank u, next” (17 November 2018), “7 rings” (2 February 2019), “Stuck with U” (feat. Justin Bieber; 23 May 2020), “Rain on Me” (Lady Gaga feat. Ariana Grande; 6 June 2020) and “Positions” (7 November 2020). 

These record-breaking achievements are celebrated on the pages of the Guinness World Records 2021 edition, alongside other historic musicians.  

Though her career continues to grow, Grande regularly expresses gratitude for her accolades across her social media and through her efforts with organizations such as Opportunity Fund, Feeding America, and Give Directly.  

She also maintains transparency with her fans, as seen on the December release of “Ariana Grande: Excuse Me, I Love You,” a Netflix documentary offering a behind-the-scenes look of her latest tour.  

Now after the November release of her latest album Positions and recent engagement to real estate agent Dalton Gomez, Grande is teasing new inspiration for music in 2021 such as Positions Deluxe, which she announced is rolling out this February.  

She has already released remixes of the album’s most popular songs, the most recent featuring Megan Thee Stallion and Doja Cat.  

With such success and noteworthy accomplishments at the age of 27, Ariana Grande has established herself as a creative force to be reckoned with, both on and off the stage.  

Her music, which has always included undertones of women empowerment, inner strength, and raw vulnerability, will continue to serve as the record-breaking foundation for her burgeoning legacy.