Ariana Grande was back on Broadway on Monday night (April 27). Well, virtually anyway. The singer joined Jason Robert Brown’s Virtual SubCulture Artist-in-Residency concert series for a three-hanky cover of the opening ballad “Still Hurting” from Brown’s 2001 The Last Five Years musical.
Grande, who got her start in 2008 in one of Brown’s earlier musicals, 13, sang her stunning vocals in front of a professional mic set-up from an undisclosed location, while Brown accompanied her remotely on piano, along with other dialed-in musicians adding strings and guitar.
“What I have missed and mourned the most over these last extraordinary weeks has been my ability to connect with music – to play and sing with other musicians, and to feel the audience responding,” Brown said in a statement about the now-online versions of the five-year-old series. “Every month for the past five years, I’ve been able to do just that at SubCulture, working with the best musicians and singers I know to make music together for a smart, involved and joyful audience in a place that’s come to feel like a second home.”
Grande really appreciated the opportunity to stretch her musical wings, writing, “that was so beautiful @MrJasonRBrown i loved every minute so much ! thank u and @SubCulture_NYC for having me and for doing this. everyone played and sang so beautifully. love u.”
The SubCulture series is free, with fans encouraged to donate to help the series’ musicians during the coronavirus shutdown of Broadway. Over the years, Ana Gasteyer, Tony Danza, Justin Guarini, Sutton Foster, Betsy Wolfe, Megan Hilty, Norm Lewis, Cynthia Erivo and many more have appeared on the series. Click here to watch the full performance.
Watch Grande’s performance below.
u both sounded fucking phenomenal @ShoshanaBean @MrJasonRBrown. i’m still recovering from everything i just watched. thank u for existing and for being human masterclasses in musicality and technique.
— Ariana Grande (@ArianaGrande) April 28, 2020
that was so beautiful @MrJasonRBrown i loved every minute so much ! thank u and @SubCulture_NYC for having me and for doing this. everyone played and sang so beautifully. love u.
— Ariana Grande (@ArianaGrande) April 28, 2020
voz da geração pic.twitter.com/RMhmteniXL
— (@moonIightsmiIe) April 28, 2020
