Ariana Grande’s Signature Ponytail Is Back: The Full Story Behind Her 2026 Look
Ariana Grande’s Ponytail Return — Quick Read
- Grande brought back her high ponytail at the 2026 Golden Globes on January 12, after years of Wicked-era buns.
- She wore a custom black Vivienne Westwood dress and brunette hair — a direct farewell to the Glinda blonde.
- Hairstylist Alyx Liu created the look; brunette hair replaced Grande’s Wicked-era blonde from October 2025.
- The Eternal Sunshine Tour, launching June 6, 2026, is widely seen as the reason for the aesthetic shift.
From the 2026 Golden Globes to the Eternal Sunshine Tour era, why the high pony means more than a hairstyle
Ariana Grande’s high ponytail returned at the 83rd Annual Golden Globe Awards on January 12, 2026 — and it arrived wearing a statement. Grande shifted back to her signature style at the 2026 Golden Globes, opting for a custom-designed black Vivienne Westwood dress and a brunette, high ponytail in place of the pale pink gowns and blonde locks she had adopted during her Wicked era.
The ponytail is not a cosmetic choice. For Grande, it has always signaled what era comes next. The Eternal Sunshine Tour opens June 6, 2026, and the look says she is ready.
Why It Disappeared and Why It’s Back
Grande’s high ponytail started as necessity, not style. She revealed that she wore her hair in a ponytail because her real hair was so damaged from bleaching and dyeing it red every other week for the first four years of playing Cat Valentine on Victorious. What began as damage management became one of the most recognisable looks in pop music.
The Wicked era erased it. Grande dyed her hair blonde in October 2022 to play Glinda and wore elegant buns and updos throughout the film’s 2024 press cycle. She said goodbye to the ponytail after dyeing her hair brunette following three years of blonde. The transition back came in stages.
On October 29, 2025, Grande announced via social media that her hair is brunette again. The Golden Globes appearance on January 12, 2026 was the first full recreation of the iconic high pony in four years.
Ariana Grande at the 2026 Golden Globes
The dark, high pony had long been Grande’s go-to hairstyle pre-Glinda. The choice to return to it seems fitting as she gets closer to kicking off her highly anticipated Eternal Sunshine Tour.
Celebrity hairstylist Alyx Liu created the Golden Globes look. Liu slicked Grande’s brunette hair into a high pony with a sleek side parting. Makeup artist Michael Anthony delivered a neutral palette including a pale pink matte lip and soft long lashes, per the Hello! magazine report from the event.
The Vivienne Westwood custom black dress completed the pivot. Pink Glinda gowns were gone. Dark, sleek, and music-forward Grande had returned.
Ariana Grande’s Ponytail History
The ponytail was first codified into a signature during the My Everything era in 2014 on Republic Records. It was perched sky-high and paired with the sharp cat-eye that became her other signature. The hairstyle perfectly mirrored My Everything’s sonic evolution toward mainstream pop and EDM.
The Dangerous Woman era in 2016 brought a full straight ponytail with ombré colour. Sweetener (2018) on Republic Records extended it into its longest, most dramatic iteration, paired with heavy winged liner. Thank U, Next (2019) kept the length but darkened the tone. By Positions (2020), Grande shocked fans by abandoning the ponytail entirely for a voluminous 60s-inspired flip with curled ends.
Eternal Sunshine (2024) restored it in a more metaphorical form on the album cover — two versions of Grande, both wearing matching blonde ponytails. The Golden Globes moment in 2026 brings it back in the flesh.
Ariana Grande’s Ponytail
Compared to the Wicked-inspired looks Grande had been pulling off, her aesthetic now is almost a complete 180 — dramatic lashes, cat-eye liner, and the high ponytail that defined her music career for nearly a decade.
Fans have connected the returning aesthetic to the possibility of AG8, her rumoured eighth studio album on Republic Records. The visual shift happened in the same window as the Brighter Days hotline “counting the 8s” tease in March 2026. Whether that connection is intentional or coincidental, the ponytail has historically functioned as Grande’s way of announcing that music leads again.
FAQ Ariana Grande Ponytail 2026
When did Ariana Grande bring back her ponytail?
Grande brought back her high ponytail at the 83rd Golden Globe Awards on January 12, 2026 — her first full recreation of the look in four years.
Who styled Ariana Grande’s ponytail at the 2026 Golden Globes?
Celebrity hairstylist Alyx Liu created the sleek brunette high pony with a side parting for the ceremony.
Why did Ariana Grande stop wearing a ponytail?
Grande dyed her hair blonde in October 2022 to play Glinda in Wicked and wore buns and updos throughout the film’s era instead.
What was Ariana Grande’s hair originally damaged by?
Grande bleached and dyed her hair red every other week for four years while playing Cat Valentine on Nickelodeon’s Victorious.
What colour is Ariana Grande’s hair in 2026?
Grande returned to brunette hair in October 2025 after three years blonde for her Wicked role as Glinda.