Entertainment
Ariana Grande Covered This '70s Hit In A Tour Rehearsal Video That'll Make Your Jaw Drop
Ari's tour rehearsals have officially hit a high note. A video of Ariana Grande singing Minnie Riperton's "Lovin' You" while rehearsing for her Sweetener World Tour graced the web — and it really is some serious ear candy. "Paused reh to do this lullaby i promised u ... happy friday," Grande posted on Feb. 22. In the black and white clip, an all-male group of dancers are backing her up, both snapping their fingers and swaying in unison to the beat of the 1975 chart-topper.
The moment that really made the guys — and anyone else listening, to be honest — really lose their minds, however, came almost at the end of the video which ran for just more than 50 seconds total. As noted by Billboard, "Lovin' You" features "some of the highest high-notes ever hit." And not only did Ari hit those notes, but she did so with such ease that you'd think the nearly-impossible whistle register was beginners' stuff. No wonder Grande's Instagram post racked up more than 5 million views in less than 24 hours.
The musical treat was but the latest appetizer leading up to Grande's tour, which kicks off on March 18 in Albany, New York. Along with a clip of herself performing "No Tears Left to Cry," the Grammy winner wrote the following caption on Feb. 21: "twenty five days til @sweetener / thankunext tour 🌫 love u and we can’t wait to see u 🌑 p.s. i’m going to call it the sweetener / thank u next tour from now on since i’m doing songs from both albums"
One week earlier, Grande even celebrated Valentine's Day right along with her Arianators, debuting new Sweetener tour merchandise as a holiday gift. Among the items ranging from $12 to $55, per People: a "break up with your girlfriend, i'm bored" shirts, socks, heart-shaped pillows, a thank u, next-inspired burnbook, and shot glasses. “Festive lil tour rehearsal beat 🖤🌫💎✉️,” Grande captioned a Feb. 14 selfie with heart-shaped glitter covering her face, according to the mag.
After hitting major cities throughout the U.S. and Canada through July 13, Grande will take a month break before heading overseas to tour Europe, currently slated to wrap up in Zurich, Switzerland on Oct. 13.
She already has plenty to celebrate as she readies to hit the road, too. Grande made Billboard history this month, becoming the first act since The Beatles to have songs in the Billboard Hot 100's top three spots simultaneously (with "7 rings," "break up with your girlfriend, i'm bored," and "thank u, next"). Not only was Grande the first solo artist to ever earn the distinction, she was also only second musical act to do so — ever.
Grande responded in the most humble fashion, tweeting:
"i laughed when i saw this bc i thought y’all edited it. thank u from the bottom of my heart. for so many reasons. first time since the beatles huh. that’s wild. i thought this was a joke when i saw it i’m not kidding. i love u. so much. always have n will. thank u for everything."
And with that heartfelt thank you out of the way, fans can look forward to what's next when her tour officially kicks off in just a few short weeks.