In 2008, five years before Ariana Grande dropped her debut album, Yours Truly, she appeared in her first Broadway musical, Jason Robert Brown’s 13. She and Brown friendship has continued since then, with Grande enlisting the composer’s talents for the 2016 Dangerous Woman track “Jason’s Song”. On Monday, the pair teamed up once again, this time virtually for Brown’s ongoing “Artist-in-Residency” concert series.
Presented in conjunction with New York City venue SubCulture, the online concert saw Grande perform “Still Hurting”, a moving piece from Brown’s 2001 musical The Last Five Years. The pop phenom broadcast in black and white from an undisclosed quarantine location, while Brown and an ensemble of musicians performed piano, strings, and guitar from their own separate spaces.
In a statement, Brown talked about adapting his regular series for these pandemic times:
“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. 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.”
Grande commented on the evening’s events, tweeting out, “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 “7 rings” singer also called Brown and fellow performer Shoshana Bean “human masterclasses in musicality and technique.”
Watch Grande’s performance below. Throughout the concert, viewers were encouraged to donate to SubCulture and its staff.
Grande has been keeping active while in quarantine. She recently participated in a star-studded Disney Sing-Along event, shared a stripped-down video for “My Everything”, and even teased all-new music. She’s expected to appear on Lady Gaga’s highly anticipated Chromatica album, though when that LP will arrive is currently up in the air.
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.
Advertisement— 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