Timeline of Ariana Grande and Nicki Minaj's friendship explored

Ariana Grande and Nicki Minaj are both celebrated artists. While Nicki entered the music industry much earlier than Ariana, she has always seen the Thank U, Next singer as a friend more than a junior. Ariana, for her part, has always openly stated how Nicki is her "favorite rapper."

The founding stone of Grande and Minaj's friendship is the chemistry the duo share both on-screen and in the music they create. The duo first met in 2011 and have since been close friends. Over the years, the two have collaborated on several songs and performed live together many times, further strengthening their bond.

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All of Ariana Grande and Nicki Minaj's collaborations have been a hit

According to Young Hollywood, Ariana Grande first met Nicki Minaj in person in 2011 when the two attended the 53rd Grammy Awards. However, their first musical collaboration came three years later, in 2014, when the duo worked together in Get On Your Knees.

The track was released as a part of Nicki Minaj's third studio album - The Pinkprint - and ranked 88 on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart. Later, she also praised Ariana's feature in the song, saying:

"How amazing, Ariana added her own twist to it. She just sounds amazing on it. It was such a dope, fun, sexy song. I truly do love that song."

According to the media outlet, their first collaboration made way for the iconic Bang Bang - Grande and Minaj partnered with Jessie J for the track.

The track met immediate commercial success and was included in Jessie J's and Grande's studio albums - Sweet Talker and My Everything, respectively. It debuted at No. 3 on the US Billboard Hot 100 and peaked atop the UK singles chart.

Since then, the friendship between Ariana Grande and Nicki Minaj has solidified. In 2016, when the Positions singer released her third studio album - Dangerous Woman - the track that attracted the most attention was Side to Side, featuring Nicki Minaj. Peaking at number four on the US Billboard Hot 100, Side to Side was an instant hit among their fans.

Released in August, it crossed the 100 million views mark on YouTube by the end of September 2018. Ariana joined Nicki on her radio show, Queen Radio, around the same time, with her latter introducing her as:

"She's my real sister in the industry. She's someone that... when I say she's the realest b**ch in game, I f**king mean it."

In the episode, Ariana mentioned that Nicki was her "best friend." The 7 Rings singer has been on the show twice, once with her ex-boyfriend Pete Davidson.

The next Grande-Minaj collaboration arrived two years later when Nicki Minaj released her fourth studio album - Queen. Bed was released on June 14, 2018, ahead of the album, and it took the fourth position on the US Billboard Hot 100. The duo was due another collaboration before the year ended.

The Light Is Coming was included in Ariana's fourth album - Sweetener - with Nicki Minaj featuring and writing the intro. It acquired the 89th position on Billboard.

The last collaboration Ariana Grande had with Minaj was released in 2019 as a track for the Charlie's Angels playlist. Ariana and Normani's Bad To You also featured Nicki Minaj.

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Grande and Minaj have performed live together many times

Ariana Grande's first live performance with Nicki Minaj was at the 2014 iHeartRadio Music Festival. Soon after Minaj performed Flawless on-stage, she was joined by Grande, and the two performed Bang Bang together.

The following year, Ariana was invited to headline the NBA All-Star Game Halftime show in January 2015, where the Positions singer performed an extended play of her hits. She brought out Nicki Minaj mid-performance as a surprise team-up; the duo performed Bang Bang together.

In 2016, Ariana Grande and Minaj came together to perform at the LA T-Mobile Grand Arena Opening, where the latter was the headliner, with Ariana being a special guest. They performed Bang Bang and Get On Your Knees in the event.

Toward the end of the year, the duo performed Side to Side live at the American Music Awards. In 2019, when Ariana Grande headlined at the Coachella music festival, her set had special appearances of NSNC and Nicki Minaj, and performed the same track with the latter.

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Despite the amount of music the duo have already created, fans of Ariana and Nicki admire their chemistry and are always on the lookout for hints of their next collaboration.