9:22 AM PST 11/7/2018
by
Katherine Schaffstall
She delivered a world-premiere rendition of her new breakup anthem on ‘The Ellen DeGeneres Show.’
Ariana Grande gave her debut performance of her breakup anthem “Thank U, Next” on Wednesday’s episode of The Ellen DeGeneres Show.
The song name checks the singer’s past loves, including Big Sean, Ricky Alvarez, Pete Davidson and Mac Miller.
The First Wives Club-inspired performance opened with Grande standing in between backup singers Tayla Parx and Victoria Monet. The women, clad in all-white ensembles, appeared to be standing in the middle of a vacated wedding reception.
“Thought I’d end up with Sean/ But he wasn’t a match/ Wrote some songs about Ricky/ Now I listen and laugh,” Grande sang. The performers then began to snap in unison as she continued, “Almost even got married/ And for Pete, I’m so thankful/ Wish I could say, ‘Thank you’ to Malcolm/ Cause he was an angel.”
Grande continued to sing about how her past loves have made her into the person that she is today. The united front displayed by the women pays homage to the 1996 comedy film, which follows three college friends who work together to get revenge on their ex-husbands for leaving them to be with younger women.
Following the first chorus of the song, Grande, Parx and Monet left the center of the stage and began to dance playfully together as Grande sang, “Spend more time with my friends/ I ain’t worried bout nothing/ Plus, I met someone else.” The singer tripped and stated, “Oh my God” as she tried to step down from a chair she was dancing on.
But she recovered from the stumble and continued to sing about how her new love interest is herself. The performers continued to dance in unison and marched around their microphone stands.
The performance slowed down as Grande sang about her future wedding. “One day I’ll walk down the aisle/ Holding hands with my mama/ I’ll be thinking about daddy/ Cause she grew from the drama,” she sang. Grande began to slightly tear up during the moment.
“Only wanna do it once, real bad/ Gonna make that shit last/ God forbid something happens/ Least this song is a smash,” Grande sang as she laughed during the line. The light moment showed the growth in her friendships with her fellow performers and her relationship with herself, which parallels the storyline in The First Wives Club.
The performance concludes with the three women putting on white winter jackets and exiting the room by walking through the aisles near the audience members.
Grande, Parx and Monet then returned to the stage to talk to DeGeneres. “I thought we were supposed to exit at the top. My bad,” said the singer.
Watch the full performance below.
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