Ariana Grande is one of entertainment’s biggest names, but it wasn’t all that long ago that she was a rising star with big music dreams. She has come a long way since then, which has allowed her to create one of the finest examples of the “how it started vs. how it’s going” memes out there.
For the unfamiliar, the format of the meme usually consists of two images, the first showing something from the past and the second being some sort of modern progression or advancement from what’s going on in the initial photo. So, for Grande’s post, the first image is a screenshot of a tweet from 2011 (when she was acting on Victorious and hadn’t yet released her first single), in which she wrote, “@MariahCarey I love you. :].” The second image shows the supreme glow-up that has taken place over the past nine years, as it’s a promotional image for “Oh Santa!,” Grande’s upcoming collaborative single with Carey and Jennifer Hudson.
how it started / how it’s going
#ohsanta friday @mariahcarey @iamjhud pic.twitter.com/P5DpfUIvNi
— Ariana Grande (@ArianaGrande) December 3, 2020
@MariahCarey I love you. :]
— Ariana Grande (@ArianaGrande) November 17, 2011
The song is set to be released tomorrow and it comes as part of Mariah Carey’s Magical Christmas Special, which also premieres tomorrow, on Apple TV+. Along with the aforementioned people, the special will also feature Snoop Dogg, Jermaine Dupri, Tiffany Haddish, Billy Eichner, Misty Copeland, Mykal-Michelle Harris, and Carey’s twins, Moroccan and Monroe.