Ariana Grande is likely done releasing new music this year, as she said recently that she doesn’t believe she will be able to drop her Thank U, Next album before 2018 comes to an end. That doesn’t mean she’s staying entirely out of the spotlight, though. She just released her new single “Imagine” last week, and she visited The Tonight Show yesterday to perform the song. Decked out in a Christmas sweater and accompanied by The Roots, she ran through a spirited rendition of the song, which was lifted by a brass end section that gave the song a climactic energy.
That wasn’t all Grande did during her stop at The Tonight Show. She also joined Jimmy Fallon, Horatio Sanz, Chris Kattan, and Tracy Morgan for a performance of “I Wish It Was Christmas Today,” the classic Saturday Night Live sketch that originally featured those four. Grande didn’t actually do much during that performance, which makes sense considering that wasn’t really even enough for just the SNL alums to do in the original sketch. The setup was the same as the original, but with the addition of Grande, who pretty much just put her hands on Kattan’s shoulders and bobbed in place. Ultimately, it’s a silly little skit that’s good for a quick laugh. If that wasn’t enough to scratch your “I Wish It Was Christmas Today” itch, though, remember that Julian Casablancas recorded a pretty solid cover of it years ago.
Watch Grande perform “Imagine” and take part in the rendition of “I Wish It Was Christmas Today” above.
