Ariana Grande paid tribute to Aretha Franklin with a special performance on The Tonight Show on Thursday night. The young pop powerhouse opened the show with an emotional cover of “Natural Woman” featuring accompaniment from The Roots. Watch the replay below.
According to TMZ, Grande was initially reluctant to do the performance, saying she was too emotional. However, she was eventually convinced by The Roots’ Questlove.
Grande’s performance received a standing ovation, but she quickly left the stage and broke down in tears, TMZ adds.
Prior to the performance, Grande shared a photograph of her and Franklin:
Grande was originally scheduled to appear on The Tonight Show in promotion of her new album, Sweetener, which was released on Friday.
