Ariana Grande took it way back to her musical theater roots for her performance as part of Jason Robert Brown's virtual SubCulture Artist-in-Residency concert on Monday (April 27).
For her number, the pop titan, 26, performed a rendition of the mournful ballad, "Still Hurting," from Brown's musical, The Last Five Years. Grande showed off her impressive pipes in front of a mic set-up, which was presumably from her home, while Brown played piano remotely and other musicians added strings and guitar. The show was free to access and encouraged viewers to make donations to help assist SubCulture staff and musicians as the Broadway shutdown continues amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Grande took to Twitter after the show to talk about her experience, 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."
Longtime Grande fans know the star began her professional career on Broadway in Brown's 2008 musical, 13. In addition to the chart-topper, singer Shoshana Bean also performed during the virtual concert. "U both sounded f**king phenomenal @ShoshanaBean @MrJasonRBrown," Grande added on Twitter. "I’m still recovering from everything i just watched. thank u for existing and for being human masterclasses in musicality and technique."
"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 event. "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."
"Sitting here watching the news go by, I had to do something, I had to figure out some way to let these notes and words in my head come out and be shared with my collaborators and my audience, and so, here we are. All of us in our homes, making music however and whenever we can, with an amazing team to help pull it all together, and two of the greatest singers on the planet Earth: the patron saint of the SubCulture Residency, Shoshana Bean, and Grammy-winner, icon and total theater nerd Ariana Grande. We've put together a show about what we've lost, what we've discovered and what we're grateful for, and I can't wait to share it with you."
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