Ariana Grande is 2018’s unanimous queen of ponytails and pop, but the Sweetener singer can hardly be put into a single box. While in the U.K., Ari stopped by BBC Radio 1 to show off her range, which included a cover of magical bassist Thundercat’s standout 2015 track “Them Changes.”
“I’m doing 'Them Changes' by Thundercat, which is my favorite song of like the past year and a half,” she told host Clara Amfo, calling the Brainfeeder artist “super-brilliant.” As the FADER points out, this was Grande’s first visit to BBC's Live Lounge, where she also performed "No Tears Left To Cry" and "R.E.M.” off her new album.
Here's the stripped-down version of her Sweetener track “R.E.M.”
This isn’t Grande’s only stop with BBC before leaving the U.K. She’s also filming a one-hour BBC special to commemorate her new No. 1 album on Sept. 7, which is set to air sometime later this fall. The special will also feature an interview, and more importantly, the singer is going to be backed by an all-woman orchestra. Last year, Grande worked with BBC to host her One Love Manchester event following the terrorist attack on her Manchester Arena concert.
The singer is expected to announce her 2019 tour sometime soon, but so far there are no details besides pre-ticket access when you buy some merch.
Listen to Ariana’s entire stop by the Live Lounge here beginning around the 02:22:00 mark.
