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MANILA, Philippines – Ariana Grande is a wunderkind who can bring down the house with just her pipes. A 22 year-old songstress with chart-topping and critically acclaimed music, she’s on an unstoppable trajectory to becoming a timeless legend.
But Ariana also stands out in a realm of provocateur pop stars who try to out-do each other on the spectacle quotient. The NY Daily News remarks, “Ariana Grande has been gaining attention less for how little she wears or how graphically she moves than for how she sings.” Although she’s very well aware that the theatrics are part of her job, she tells the newspaper, “I think of music first. I want people to listen instead of look and judge.”
Indeed, her voice has been her vehicle to meteoric success and has gained her an immense fandom. Once a Nickelodeon starlet, Ariana shows no trace of a reluctant newcomer. She is clearly someone who has earned her place by honing her voice. Never mind her young age, she displays an impressive sense of maturity and versatility.
Her 2014 sophomore album, My Everything, is the latest proof of this – with help from an impressive roster of collaborators, to name a few: Iggy Azalea, A$AP Ferg, Zedd, Ryan Tedder (of OneRepublic), and even Harry Styles (of One Direction). It’s also a sonically diverse effort where Ariana fashions herself as a deft R&B songstress experimenting with eclectic sounds. For instance, she dabbles in underground soundscapes by way of The Weeknd, Cashmere Cat, and Childish Gambino.
Performing her latest songs live, the vocal powerhouse can put on an electrifying show.
At the Manila stop of the Honeymoon Tour on Sunday, August 23 at the Mall of Asia Arena (her first-ever show in the country), her fans were surely captivated by her vocal feats but weren’t left with their jaws dropped the entire time. Instead, everyone sang (or even rapped) along.
Ari, as she is fondly known, had her loyal following in full force at her Manila concert. Some fans were even sporting her signature kitty ears and ponytail.
Ariana filled the mesmerizing affair with spectacular renditions of fan favorites, and even treated her Pinoy fans to a rare cover performance. Here are the moments that captivated us:
1. Ariana danced to her smash hits but still reached her high notes
Although Ariana has gained legions of fans through her powerful 4-octave soprano voice, she showed that she could also shake and shimmy in her glittery short dresses and trademark cat ears.
Her set showcased her versatility across different styles and highlighted her genius as a soprano. As her songs are vocally demanding, she raised the bar with her adorable dancing (partly thanks to a Broadway run on the musical 13) – showing that she deserves a place in the pantheon of pop music.
From opening her set with the mega-hit “Bang Bang” down to her last two songs, “Break Free” (with Zedd) and her encore “Problem” (with Iggy Azalea), she kept the energy up.
2. Ariana paid tribute to pop music royalty
Ariana doesn’t perform in the shadow of giants, but growing up as a music fan and singer, she feels that she owes a great deal to the legends that have gone before her.
At her concert, this was evident in her celebration of girl power and tribute to soul legend Chaka Khan and the Queen of Pop, Madonna through a mash-up of their respective hits, “I’m Every Woman” and “Vogue.”
3. Her stellar collaborators were (virtually) there to support her
Across her two studio albums, Ariana has collaborated with some of the best musicians today. How do her superbly produced tracks translate to a live performance? (READ: Ariana Grande playlist: 5 memorable collaborations)
Dr. Dre and Snoop Dogg once “resurrected” the late rapper Tupac Shakur as a hologram at Coachella 2012, and Ariana did something similar with a simple but ingenious solution: through her LED backdrop.
She virtually performed together with Childish Gambino (“Break Your Heart Right Back”), Big Sean (“Best Mistake”), Mac Miller (“The Way”), and Iggy Azalea (“Problem”) on playback.
Break Your Heart Right Back with Childish Gambino on the LED. pic.twitter.com/S1Sjz1IDol
— Paige Occeñola (@ohnopaige) August 23, 2015
Disappointingly, crooner Abel Tesfaye a.k.a. The Weeknd was missing in action, but Ariana’s live performance of “Love Me Harder” was still on point – sensual and soulful.
4. Ariana reprised her cover of “I Have Nothing” especially for Pinoy fans
Ariana treated the Manila crowd to a rare reprise of her widely admired cover of Whitney Houston’s “I Have Nothing.”
Ariana is known to have performed the song on at least one occasion on the Honeymoon Tour. In Los Angeles, she even brought out the “Hit Man” David Foster, who co-penned the song with his ex-wife Linda Thompson for the 1992 film The Bodyguard, to accompany her on the piano. (READ: Ariana Grande playlist: 5 amazing covers)
As she was introducing the song, the anticipation was palpable. Manila already knew what was coming – even just seconds before the opening piano strains.
“This song, I don’t usually do… I wanted to do something special for you guys,” said Ariana.
She confessed that “I Have Nothing” is one of her “favorite songs in the world,” which first belonged to her childhood hero, the incomparable Whitney Houston.
As the audience recognized the opening notes, they were ecstatic. But Ariana absolutely killed it as she belted the power ballad’s sky-high notes.
The chorus, “Don’t make me close one more door / I don’t want to hurt anymore…” brimmed with emotion. There were some who sang along to the lovesick anthem, but there were also those rendered speechless and reduced to shrieking.
5. Ariana acknowledged her ‘cute and sweet’ fans
Ariana asked the crowd, “How are you all feeling tonight,” which they responded to with a thunderous wall of sound.
Doting at her cat ears-sporting young fans across the arena, she said, “You guys are so cute and so, so sweet. I love you guys.”
“I just want to say a quick ‘Thank you.’ I love you guys so, so much. I’ve wanted to come here for you guys for such a long time,” said Ariana.
Crowd lights up for Tattooed Heart. #HoneymoonTourManila pic.twitter.com/V3arAlt6CJ
— Paige Occeñola (@ohnopaige) August 23, 2015
The pop star is also known to be social media-savvy and took the time to acknowledge her Filipino fans who have been tweeting at her before her long-awaited arrival. She giddily said, “You guys on Twitter – always on Twitter like, ‘Ariana, come to the Philippines!’ So I’m finally here! Woo!”
She didn’t talk a lot, but she certainly did what she came here for: to serenade her Pinoy fans with her soaring voice. This alone was already an experience to behold.
But maybe she was just overwhelmed by the warm reception, as she later took to Twitter to show her love and appreciation. (READ: Ariana Grande thanks PH fans after Manila concert)
o m g Manila thank u so much. what a thrilling night! I wanted to jump into the crowd & squeeze all of your lil faces. mahal kita. I love u.
— Ariana Grande (@ArianaGrande) August 23, 2015
but really. my heart is jumping off the nearest cliff. y’all are everything to me. wow.
— Ariana Grande (@ArianaGrande) August 23, 2015
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