Watch Ariana Grande Cover Marvin Gaye During Surprise Coachella Appearance
Ariana Grande returned yesterday with “No Tears Left To Cry,” her first new music since last year’s devastating terrorist attack at her concert in Manchester. Although the song’s title and cover art suggested that it would be a heavy emotional ballad, what we actually got turned out to be something lighter and more joyous than that, a song about picking yourself up and reveling in the face of hardship. And last night, she performed it at Coachella.
Ariana Grande wasn’t scheduled to appear at Coachella at all. But Norwegian DJ/producer Kygo, the crown prince of tropical house and the poster boy of EDM’s soft-rock phase, was, and during his set, he brought Grande out to perform her new single live for the very first time.
One of Kygo’s biggest songs is a trop-house remix of Marvin Gaye’s 1982 soul classic “Sexual Healing,” and Ariana performed that with him onstage too, singing over the DJ’s breezy island synths. Watch her surprise performance of both songs below.
Kygo dedicated his set to Avicii, 28-year-old Swedish EDM superstar who was found dead in Muscat, Oman yesterday. “Today is a very sad day for music,” Kygo told the crowd. “Earlier today, I got the news that Avicii passed away, only 28 years old. Avicii was my biggest musical inspiration, and he was the reason I started making music. So I don’t think I would have been on the stage if it wasn’t for him, and I know he has inspired a million other producers out there.”