Ariana Grande performed an unreleased song and it was a Broadway dream

Ariana Grande, queen of statement jackets, has had a busy old time recently. The star not only shut down an interview that was delving too deep into her personal life, but she’s also just released her latest single “Side to Side,”, a collaboration with Nicki Minaj.

The star’s most recent album, Dangerous Woman, introduced the world to a new Ariana, one who was grown and truly let her incredible vocals show.

What you might not know, however, is that Ariana got her start singing Broadway songs. If you follow Ariana on Snapchat you can often see the star singing the songs of the stage, and if you head over to YouTube there are countless vids of Ari singing Broadway tracks.

In fact, it’s probably for this reason that Ariana has been cast in NBC’s upcoming Hairspray! Live telecast in December.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3m6g7rGkUcI?feature=oembed

While Grande’s albums haven’t always had bags of theatrical elements (it’s true, they’re pretty straight up pop), Dangerous Woman did feature a track called “Jason’s Song (Gave It Away),” which was included on the Target Deluxe Edition of the record.

The track was co-written by Jason Robert Brown (whose video with Ariana is featured above) after the singer said that she wanted a song for her album that was like the prolific Tony award winning composer’s “Getting Out” from the record Wearing Someone Else’s Clothes. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XQ-GQe37xbw?feature=oembed

Writing on a blog post about the song, Brown said, "[Ariana] had a melodic idea for the chorus, I filled it out; I had a melodic idea for the verse, she stretched it and made it swing. I told her she should write the lyrics, since I didn’t feel like I could put words in her mouth."

While he did go on to write most of the lyrics for the song, he said that he wanted to create something that would “push her boundaries” and comment on the crazy demands of fame.

While we were pretty sure that the song would be relegated to bonus track material never to be heard again, it seems that Ariana has other plans.

Dropping by The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, Ariana Grande performed the song back by Jason Robert Brown and The Roots, and it’s a Broadway dream!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4FD-29WhMgs

The song really shows off a different element of Ariana’s voice and let’s it truly shine.

Writing on Twitter, the singer wrote, "That was my favorite performance i've ever done i think. thanks @MrJasonRBrown for using my voice the way it's meant to be heard. love you."

She then went on to say how amazing it was to perform with The Roots, to wish Jimmy Fallon a happy birthday, and express her happiness. CUTE.

https://twitter.com/udfredirect/status/778097072184655873

https://twitter.com/udfredirect/status/778105843887771650

https://twitter.com/udfredirect/status/778109307263016961

It’s really nice to see a star like Ariana breaking free from what she’s usually known for and showcasing a different side of her talent. We loved it.

Meanwhile, Ms. Grande just announced the dates and on-sale details for her upcoming “Dangerous Woman Tour,” which kicks off next year.