Hairspray Live! Ariana Grande joins cast of NBC musical as Penny Pingleton

Ariana Grande is a Grammy-nominated singer who has sold millions of records and was named one of Time's 100 most influential people in the world earlier this year – and now she's looking to conquer the world of musicals. The pop superstar has joined the cast of NBC's upcoming live production of Hairspray.

Taking to Twitter, the Dangerous Woman songstress couldn't hold back her excitement as she confirmed that she would follow in the footsteps of Leslie Ann Powers and Amanda Bynes to play Penny Pingleton, the best friend of lead character Tracy Turnblad. "Penny has been a dream role since Hairspray opened on Broadway," she told her 39.9million followers.

The 23-year-old brunette beauty later added on Instagram that she had "never been more excited for anything in my entire life".

NBC Entertainment chairman Robert Greenblatt said he looked forward to welcoming the star – and her stunning vocals – to the team. "We're absolutely thrilled to round out our all-star Hairspray Live! cast with Ariana Grande, one of the biggest recording artists in the world," he said in a statement "She's also a Broadway baby at heart, having debuted on Broadway when she was 15, and will be fantastic in the delightful role of Penny Pingleton. We look forward to her millions of fans seeing yet another side to this multifaceted performer and we welcome her to this incredible ensemble of artists."

Although Grande got her big break as a child star on Nickelodeon, she is in her element on stage. She appeared in Jason Robert Brown's Broadway musical 13 when she was 15. The cast of Hairspray Live! also includes Martin Short, Derek Hough, Kristin Chenoweth, and Jennifer Hudson.