The debut album from Ariana Grande, 2013's Yours Truly, is a surprisingly sophisticated and unique showcase for the Nickelodeon sitcom star's soulful R&B vocals.Occasionally, the album dips into other genres such as adult contemporary music and dance music. The collaborations are with Big Sean, Mika and Mac Miller, in addition to The Wanted's Nathan Sykes, who features on the song 'Almost Is Never Enough' which was also included on The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones soundtrack. Grande recorded a number of songs on this album over a three-year period. Que' Smith and Victorious co-star Leon Thomas III, as well as others, handling the production on the album. Contribution by Harmony Samuels, Kenneth 'Babyface' Edmonds, Patrick 'J. On the album, Grande co-wrote six out of the twelve tracks. Grande describes the album's first half as a 'throwback' to the R&B music of the 1990s, and the second half being 'very unique and very special that I've sort of written' which is completely original. Incorporating R&B, Yours Truly was influenced by Whitney Houston, Amy Winehouse, Christina Aguilera and Mariah Carey, amongst Grande's other idols. It was released on September 3, 2013, by Republic Records. Yours Truly is the debut studio album by American singer and actress Ariana Grande.
