Norwegian singer-songwriter Sondre Lerche ends every calendar year by posting a cover of a pop hit to his Soundcloud. Last year, Lerche covered Selena Gomez’s “Bad Liar,” and the year before, Ariana Grande‘s excellent (and criminally under-appreciated) “Into You.” This year, Lerche revisits Grande with a gorgeous cover of one of the best songs of the year, “Thank U, Next.”
Lerche’s cover maintains the gentle sentimentality of Grande’s original, while changing the instrumentation to fit his own style. Over a twinkling acoustic guitar, Lerche translates Grande’s song to Norwegian. It’s a warm, serene cover. You don’t have to have dated Sean, Ricky, or Pete to feel a similar gratitude for the people who helped you grow and learn your strength.
Along with the track, Lerche posted a message contextualizing his yearly cover selection.
“I hadn’t really decided between ‘No Tears Left To Cry’ or [‘Thank U, Next’] when I sat down with my guitar the night before last to feel out the vibes. I loved them both the moment I heard them, but the explicit message of gratitude and acceptance in ‘Thank U, Next’ swiftly inspired me to reimagine the lyrics to fit my own experiences — and for once, I felt this would need to happen in Norwegian (mostly).”
Listen to Sondre Lerche’s cover of “Thank U, Next” below.
