Mariah Carey vs Ariana Grande – Battle of the Singers

Ever since Ariana Grande released her hit single, The Way, listeners couldn’t help but notice that her sound had a striking resemblance to none other than the icon that is Mariah Carey. She was able to hit those famous high notes, produce a carbon copy of her fantastic whistle note and also be classed a total diva.

Despite their similarities, the two were rumored to have had a serious feud, leading the internet and celebrities like Demi Lovato to constantly pit them against each other in a bunch of memes.

Let’s not forget this iconic fan-made video showing Mariah throwing serious shade at Ari.

In case you haven’t noticed it yet, Mimi’s influence on Ariana is very obvious, ladies and gents. We’ve even started believing Ariana Grande might officially be the new Mariah Carey.

So, to help Mimi and Ari’s fans settle the debate, we’ve listed a bunch of ways these two best-selling female artists compare. Let the Mariah Carey vs Ariana Grande battle begin!

1. They Both Slay the High Notes

We’re glad someone’s continuing Mimi’s legacy of high notes. Or at least, trying to.

Before the emergence of Ariana Grande, Mariah Carey was without a doubt, the queen of high notes. No one could replicate her vocal abilities until the Thank U, Next artist stepped onto the music scene, stealing Mariah’s crown and wowing all with her amazing whistle tone and vocal range. If you had to play a game of “guess the whistle tone”, it’d be hard to differentiate between the two.

It’s said that Mariah possesses a 5-octave vocal range, while Ariana has a 4-octave vocal range, which is still damn impressive.

CHECK OUT:
Ariana Grande’s Dating History

2. They Pretty Much Sound the Same

Ariana Grande may perfectly impersonate singers like Celine Dion and Britney Spears but when it comes to Mariah Carey, she isn’t just doing an impression – she naturally sounds like her. If it weren’t for their similar singing voices, the comparisons between Mimi and Ari would never have started in the first place.

But according to Quora user, Chris Ringgold, there are some differences in their vocals. Mariah can sing both a deep-voiced alto and a high-pitched soprano, while Ariana “primarily only sings soprano”. There are also many who complain about Ariana’s enunciation in songs, too.

Have you heard Ariana’s cover of Mariah’s classic, Emotions? Despite allegedly having less vocal skill than Mariah, it’s still amazing how good she is at matching her pitch, tone and range at times. It’s easy to forget we’re even listening to the dainty diva.

3. They’re Both Divas

Both Ari and Mimi are known for their diva demands! Mariah Carey has admitted that she preferred a particular angle of her profile (her right side). Funnily enough, so does Ariana! The Dangerous Woman asks only to be photographed from the left side of her face!

Mariah has been rumored to be quite the savage when it comes to other celebrities, too. She famously threw shade at Jennifer Lopez when she claimed that she “didn’t know her” and almost had beef with Demi Lovato after the singer inclined that they preferred Ariana over Mariah.

The Sweetener star on the other hand, hasn’t had many famous feuds with celebrities, but she was critisized once for licking donuts in a store and saying she “hated America”. Divas will be divas.

4. They’re Their Own Generation’s Pop Princess

Mariah is the most prolific female recording artists of all time – it’s hard to compare her to anyone else. It’s safe to say she’s had immense influence on several artists today. But when it comes to Ariana Grande, the two are sometimes indistinguishable.

Just as Mariah was the pop princess of the 1990’s, Ariana Grande is certainly one of, if not, the pop princess of today. No one can argue against the fact that the pint sized popstar is the vocalist of our generation. As much as we love her, we hate to say it, but Mariah is pretty much “so yesterday” when it comes to today’s charts!

5. They Have Similar Songs

Mariah Carey has sung legendary songs that are more iconic than anything Ariana has ever recorded. In fact, she has co-written and co-produced most of her own music.

There’s no denying however, that some of Ari’s music sounds ever so similar to Mimi’s. If you’ve heard Too Close, you’d know exactly what we’re talking about. This has earmarks of Mariah’s I’ve Been Thinking About You, wouldn’t you say?

6. They’ve Both Won Several Awards

Mariah’s been in the music scene much longer than little Ariana (since 1990, to be precise), so comparing the number of awards won between them might seem unfair. But in a battle of the popstars, it’s got to be done. According to Wikipedia, Mariah Carey has won a total of 217 awards, while Ariana has nabbed a whooping 81. She hasn’t got far to go until her award shelf is stacked with more than one hundred!

If we were to compare Grammy Awards (as they’re the most prestigious in music), there’s clearly no room for a battle as Mariah outshines Ariana with 5 wins – Best Female Pop Vocal Performance (1991), Best New Artist (1991), Best Contemporary R&B Album (2006), Best R&B Song (2006) and Best Female R&B Vocal Performance (2006).

Ariana, on the other hand (bless her heart) has been awarded with just one Grammy statue so far – Best Pop Vocal Album (2019).

7. They Both Have a High Net-Worth

Both Mariah Carey and Ariana Grande are rich AF. Mimi has a reported net-worth of $300 million, while Ariana is said to be worth a grand $50 million. That’s a lot for a star who’s only been around for the past few years, right? Mariah’s huge net-worth comes from a rich history of selling 15 albums, being a judge on American Idol, starring in a few movies and signing a Vegas gig.

Ariana made her millions in similar ways including selling 5 albums, being a well-known Nickelodeon star, marketing her own merchandise and owning her own fragrance lines.

Despite the constant comparisons and pitting against each other, Ariana Grande and Mariah Carey have put the feud behind them. Believe it or not, they’re not at it like cat and dog.

Following all the memes, it wasn’t long before Ariana and Mariah started showing more love and respect towards each other, making the internet feel foolish for a while. Ari wished Mariah a Happy Birthday on Instagram and the diva publicly gave her thanks to the young starlet, telling the world that the feud was officially over (perhaps non-existent).

Either way, you should still have your say! Who do you choose as the winner of the Mariah Carey vs Ariana Grande battle? Let us know in the comments below!