BBC Radio 1’s Live Lounge has become an institution. The performance series has become known over the years for the fascinating set of cover songs that have come out of it: Over the past year, Lorde covered Phil Collins, Khalid covered Tracy Chapman, Chvrches covered The 1974, and Shawn Mendes covered Post Malone, among others. Ariana Grande is in the UK promoting her recently released Sweetener album, and while there, she stopped by the Live Lounge for her first ever session, which featured a cover of Thundercat’s “Them Changes.”
“[It’s] my favorite song of like the past year-and-a-half,” Grande said. “He’s a super brilliant artist. This won’t be anywhere near as good as his version.”
While this may not be the most expected cover of all time, it’s certainly brilliant. Grande’s powerhouse vocals sound at home on the head-bobbingly funky track, and my only complaint personally is that it didn’t go on for longer. The track settles into a real nice groove that you never want to end. During the session, she also performed Sweetener tracks “No Tears Left To Cry,” “God Is A Woman,” and “R.E.M.”
Listen to Grande’s cover of “Them Changes” here; The performance begins at around the 2:40:00 mark, while the entire session begins at about 2:22:00.
Sweetener is out now via Republic Records. Get it here.
