Let’s pause all the Ariana Grande lovin’ for a second — we’ll have plenty of time to do that during “Total Ariana Live” tonight at 7p/6c on MTV — and give praise to the unsung heroes on the “Problem” singer’s side: her fans.
While Ariana was busy getting ready for her big ol’ “TRL” revival at MTV, I trekked out into Times Square in New York City to meet the many Arianators lined up outside. They’d traveled all over the country — and even from Brazil — for a glimpse of their flawless Queen Ari.
1.) Gabi
John Walker/MTV
Name: Gabi
Age: 15
From: Westchester County, New York
MTV: Are you an Arianator?
Gabi: Yes
MTV: Wanna drop some random Ariana knowledge on us to prove it?
Gabi: She has three dogs, and they’re Coco, Ophelia, and Toulouse.
2.) Maryam, 3.) Ustina, 4.) Alyssa & 5.) Marvy
John Walker/MTV
Name: Maryam, 12; Ustina, 11; Alyssa, 11; Marvy, 13
From: Staten Island, New York
MTV: Do any of you consider yourselves huge fans?
[All point to Ustina]
MTV: You’re an Arianator?
Ustina: Yes!
MTV: Any obscure Ariana facts you happen to know?
Ustina: Her parents got her name from a cartoon show when she was little.
MTV: Whoa, you must be card-carrying.
6.) Vanessa & 7.) Aurelia
John Walker/MTV
Name: Vanessa & Aurelia, 16
From: New Jersey
MTV: Any Arianator truth bombs you want to drop on us?
Aurelia: I still listen to “Put Your Hearts Up.”
MTV:
8.) Angel & 9.) Lourdes
John Walker/MTV
Name: Angel, 21; Lourdes, 20
From: Brooklyn, New York
MTV: Do you consider yourselves Arianators?
Lourdes: Yes.
MTV: Any random Ariana factoids you know to cement your fan status?
Angel: I do know she’s from Florida!
10.) Jessica & 11.) Olivia
John Walker/MTV
Name: Jessica, 18; Olivia, 19
From: Queens, New York
MTV: How long have you both been fans of Ariana?
Olivia: I’ve been a fan since her days on “Victorious.”
MTV: Wanna prove your Arianator knowledge?
Olivia: The Broadway play! She was in “13.” I actually saw it when I was in the 8th grade. She’s also big into supernatural stuff — and aliens.
12.) Daniel & 13.) Zoya
John Walker/MTV
Name: Daniel, 18; Zoya, 20
From: Brooklyn, New York
MTV: How long have you been Arianators?
Zoya: Episode one of “Victorious,” from when she first came on.
MTV: What’s the most obscure thing you know about Ms. Grande?
Daniel: I know she’s obsessed with “Harry Potter.” She talks about it in the live chats.
MTV: Which Hogwarts house would Ariana Grande be sorted into?
Zoya: Ravenclaw.
14.) Kaitlin, 15.) Gelia & 16.) Cheryl
John Walker/MTV
Name: Kaitlin, 18; Gelia, 14; Cheryl, 18
From: New Jersey
MTV: So, you’re all huge Ariana fans?
Kaitlin: Yes.
Gelia: Yes.
Cheryl: …Somewhat.
MTV: One random thing about Ariana Grande… GO!
Gelia: She loves Chanel a lot.
Kaitlin: She does a lot of impressions, and she’s on point with them. She can do Ariel, she can do Mariah Carey.
Cheryl: I just really like her singing.
17.) Jennifer & 18.) Glenn
John Walker/MTV
Name: Jennifer & Glenn, 20
From: New Jersey
MTV: Do either of you consider yourselves huge Arianators?
Glenn: Yeah, I really love Ariana Grande.
Jennifer: I’m not in her army of fans, but I definitely am a big fan of hers.
MTV: How long have you been fans?
Glenn: Definitely from her Nickelodeon days, “Sam & Cat.” But once Yours Truly came out, I was a big fan.
Jennifer: I guess since she was on “Victorious” and stole all the shine from Victoria.
MTV:
MTV: Are you excited about her new album, My Everything, which drops in, like, a month and a half?
Glenn: August 25.
MTV: Well, there’s my answer. Any other fan cred you wanna share with us?
Glenn: I’m absolutely obsessed with “Big Brother,” and Ariana Grande’s big brother is on “Big Brother” so I’m totally pumped for that. Definitely voting for Frankie. Team Frankie all the way!
Jennifer: I can do a pretty decent impression of Cat: “Hi, everyone, it’s Cat!”
MTV: That was, indeed, pretty decent.
19.) Carli & 20.) Brie
John Walker/MTV
Name: Carli, 19; Brie, 16
From: Virginia
MTV: Did you come up from Virginia just to see Ariana Grande?
Carli: Yeah, we did. We woke up at five in the morning just for this.
Brie: I woke up at three.
Carli: She’s ob-sessed with Ariana!
MTV: Your look is so Ariana-approved! How long have you been a total Arianator?
Brie: I’ve been a fan ever since she was on “Victorious.”
Carli: She follows her on Tumblr, Twitter…
Brie: Instagram!
MTV: Any rando Ariana factoids you wanna drop on us?
Brie: I know she’s vegan!
MTV: How excited are you about My Everything?
Brie: I’m so excited. I love her first single, “Problem.”
MTV: Have you watched the “Break Free” teaser?
Brie: Yeah, I’ve watched it over and over and over.
Carli: She’s obsessed!
21.) Hugo
John Walker/MTV
Name: Hugo
Age: 16
From: New York
MTV: Are you excited about Ariana’s upcoming new album?
Hugo: Yeah, I’m super excited.
MTV: Already got that on pre-order?
Hugo: I have it on pre-order twice on two phones.
MTV: Is that just, like, a backup?
Hugo: No, I have two phones just in case, sometimes.
MTV: If one dies, you’ll still be able to listen. Makes sense. Any closing words?
Hugo: I heard that she broke her leg or foot because she slipped on her dog’s pee once? Oh, and she likes Nutella.
22.) Melissa & 23.) Jellyn
Name: Melissa & Jellyn, 18
From: New Jersey
MTV: Would you call yourselves Arianators?
Jellyn: Yes. I loved her on “Victorious.” The way she talked, the way she laughed — she was so adorable. I’ve been a huge fan since day one. I admire her voice, and the fact that she’s so good live. I admire people who sound just like their recordings, because that’s real talent there.
MTV: Are you holding out hope for another season of “Sam & Cat”?
Melissa: Yes! Every Saturday, I check up on it. Sometimes, I record it if I can’t watch it.
MTV: Any other random bits of Ari knowledge you wanna throw our way?
Melissa: She can do that whistle tone like Mariah Carey and Whitney Houston! I think that’s pretty amazing. I’ve seen YouTube videos of her trying to reach it. She hits it all the time. She doesn’t even have to try. It’s in her system!
24.) Ron & 25.) Jeffrey
John Walker/MTV
Name: Ron
Age: 19
From: Queens, New York
Name: Jeffrey
Age: 18
From: New York
MTV: How long have you been big fans of Ariana’s?
Jeffrey: I’ve been following her ever since “The Way” came on the radio.
Ron: I was with him when he first listened to it.
MTV: What was that moment like?
Jeffrey: It was like, “Who is this person? She has this great voice!”
Ron: We both became fans.
MTV: So, no angels singing? No tears?
Jeffrey: Almost!
Ron: [laughs]
Jeffrey: We were, like, thaaaaat far away.
26.) Evelyn & 27.) Elijah
John Walker/MTV
Name: Evelyn
Age: 20
From: Brazil
Name: Elijah
Age: 17
From: New York
MTV: Are you both all-out Arianators?
Elijah: I’m a big fan of Ariana Grande. This is my first time seeing her.
MTV: Random Ariana facts… GO!
Elijah: Her birthday is on June 26. Happy belated birthday, Ariana!
Evelyn: She’s never come to my country, so this is my first time seeing her.
MTV: Wait, so did you come all the way up to New York from Brazil to see Ariana in person?
Evelyn: I’m on vacation, and the week that I’m here is the same that the show is.
MTV: So, is this, like, a dream come true?
Evelyn: Yes! I like her so much. I love Ariana.
28.) Chelsie & 29.) Faith (Shout out to their mom in the middle!)
John Walker/MTV
Name: Chelsie, 21; Faith, 15
From: Bowling Green, Kentucky
MTV: Did you come all the way up here just to see Ariana?
Faith: No, we’re here on vacation. I saw a sign for “Total Ariana Live” and just knew I had to come.
MTV: Did you draw that sign yourself?
Faith: Yes.
Chelsie: She did that in 15 minutes. [Unrolls “Good Morning America” sign that she’d had more time to work on.]
MTV: I’ve never done anything that accomplished in 15 minutes in my entire life. Here, have some Ariana Grande GIFs. You deserve them.
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