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Ariana Grande and The Weeknd each have incredible singing voices in their own right, but given the electronic synths and pop arrangements they normally work with, their voices sometimes co-star with instrumentals. "Love Me Harder," the expansive, uplifting track from Grande's My Everything, is a hit based on its breadth and outstanding singing. But given the vocal talents at play here—Grande and The Weeknd are powerful contemporary pop/R&B voices—it's remarkable how much different, and dare I say, better, that their acoustic version of "Love Me Harder" is. It doesn't deliver the same pop punch at the original, but it's far more visceral (and in black-and-white!).
In the video above, "Love Me Harder" is stripped down to nothing but an empty room and a guy playing guitar, Grande and The Weeknd swooning us with their acoustic arrangements. Grande, ever the show-stopping star, sits playfully on a speaker while she slays her belts and finesses her verses with excitement. The Weeknd, in a more reserved stance, keeps his melancholy tone consistent, appearing disillusioned, but deeply impassioned by his lyrics. There might not be much body language chemistry here, but given the vocal performances from each, it's clear that these two artists are genuinely jamming out to one of their favorites.
