音乐天才爱莉安娜 冉冉新星升起

So far, this year’s global music market has definitely been dominated by women: Beyonce Knowles, Taylor Swift, and Iggy Azalea are all making waves. And one hot name that adds more conviction to the list is US singer Ariana Grande.

截至目前，今年全球歌坛无疑是女歌手的天下：碧昂斯•诺斯，泰勒•斯威夫特，伊基•阿塞莉娅都大红大紫。而现在，美国当红炸子鸡爱莉安娜•格兰德的加入更印证了这一点。

Almost exactly a year ago, Grande released her debut album, Yours Truly. And over the past 12 months, the 21-year-old former Nickelodeon (an American TV channel for kids and adolescents) star has transformed from a pop artist you might recognize to an unapologetic superstar. She now boasts three top 10 singles in the current Billboard Hot 100 chart, an impressive opening performance at this year’s MTV Video Music Awards, and millions of followers on social networking sites.

一年前，格兰德发布了首张专辑《挚爱》。短短一年间，这位21岁的尼克国际儿童频道（美国一档青少年电视节目）的昔日明星，就从一个只是混了个脸熟的流行歌手成长为无可辩驳的歌坛巨星。现在的她，3首单曲都曾荣登公告牌百强榜前十位的宝座，在2014MTV颁奖礼上的开场表演更是惊艳众人，同时，在社交网络上还拥有数百万粉丝。

Her sophomore album, My Everything, which was released on Aug 25, is the latest sign of her coming dominance. It debuted at No 1 on the Billboard 200 album chart this week, making her the only other female singer after Scotland’s Susan Boyle to have two consecutive No 1 albums in a single year.

8月25日，格兰德发行第二张专辑《我的所有》，引领歌坛的气势尽显。该专辑本周荣登公告牌前200专辑榜首位，使格兰德成为继苏珊大妈之后、第二位在一年中有连续两张专辑登顶的女歌手。

OK, with all the glitter and glamour aside, let’s talk about Grande’s trump card — her powerful voice and wide vocal range. Unlike her peers Selena Gomez and Demi Lovato, Grande’s star power is rooted in the fact that she can really sing. More importantly, Grande knows how to control her voice, which is at once strong and sensitive, and use it to expand her musical territory.

接下来，我们抛开这些光芒与荣耀，看看格兰德真正的王牌——强有力的嗓音与宽广的音域。与同为90后的赛琳娜•戈麦斯和黛米•洛瓦托不同，格兰德真的“会”唱歌，而这也是她成为歌坛巨星的潜力所在。更重要的是，格兰德知道如何掌控自己有力却敏感的嗓音并使之帮助自己拓宽音乐之路。

My Everything is the best example. In this album, Grande literally tries her hand at everything: dance music (Break Free), R&B jams (Be My Baby), hip-hop tunes (Problem), power ballads (Why Try) and even ’60s-inflected pop (Bang Bang).

《我的所有》就是最好的例证。在这张专辑中，格兰德尝试了各种风格：《挣脱》的舞曲风，《做我的宝贝》的说唱风，《难题》的嘻哈风，《徒劳无功》的强力民谣风，甚至还有《砰砰》中脱胎于60年代的流行音乐风。

While you can clearly sense her ambition as a singer, you will be impressed by how effortlessly she handles these different styles of music, especially if you have listened to Yours Truly, a more cohesive, ’90s R&B-influenced project.

以上这些都能让你清晰地感受到格兰德作为歌手的野心，不过，她能轻松驾驭不同风格的音乐也一定让你印象深刻，尤其与她首张专辑相比更是如此，后者曲风统一，明显受到90年代说唱风的影响。

Of course, one suggestion for Grande’s future music would be for her to display more personality instead of simply parading around her vocal talent. But not to worry; based on what we’ve heard thus far, it’s safe to say Grande is well on her way to growing into her own.

当然，也有人认为格兰德若想在音乐方面有长足发展，需展现出更多个性，而不只是发挥自己的嗓音优势。不过，无须担心，就目前来看，格兰德未来必将形成自己的风格。