Ariana Grande performs a throwback version of “Honeymoon Avenue” to celebrate the 10th anniversary of her debut album, Yours Truly

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A shot of Ariana Grande performing “Tattooed Heart” from her Live in London performances. Stood with a microphone stand in a blue dress and a white cardigan, as smoke / fog blankets the floor.

For the 10th anniversary of her debut album Yours Truly, Ariana Grande did a couple of filmed live performances of songs from the album. One of which was pre-announced as “Honeymoon Avenue”. And I was kinda stoked about that, because it’s one of my favourite songs on Yours Truly. And quite honestly, might be one of my favourite Ariana Grande songs. Then the performance dropped and Ariana pulled a fast one on us, by performing a different version of the song.

This is not a remix. This is not a new version of the song. THIS is the original version of “Honeymoon Avenue”.

The album version of “Honeymoon Avenue” turning out so different was probably a huge surprise to fans when they first heard it, as the original version did the rounds online before the album released. Ariana had even performed it a couple of times.

Flipping the song back to this version for a performance more than 10 years later was not only unexpected, but a really cool idea, as the original version of “Honeymoon Avenue” is part of the legacy of Yours Truly too.

When it was announced that Ariana Grande would be releasing new filmed performances of songs from Yours Truly, I tweeted that Ariana should perform “Boyfriend Material” to get the K-pop girls talking. Because those that know, know that “Boyfriend Material” eventually became f(x)’s “No More” from their album Pink Tape.

Pimping of K-pop fans aside. In light of Ariana releasing live of the original versions of “Honeymoon Avenue” and a version of “Daydreamin’” which pares down the hard hitting R&B / Hip-Hop-esque drums and bass, it would have actually made sense for her to have filmed a performance of “Boyfriend Material” too, as it shares the same sound and vibe. And as with the performance of the original version of “Honeymoon Avenue”, it’s a cool wink to her old-ass fans who remembered it, as it is also a part of the legacy of Yours Truly.

Yours Truly seems like an album which was originally intended to be something different from what it ended up being. Especially when you factor in songs like “Boyfriend Material”. When Ariana was promoting the album and doing performances, there was a very clear nod to the 50s and 60s in her sound and also her look at the time. I get the feeling that this may have been intended to be the core sound and vibe of the album, but something changed along the way. Maybe the record label didn’t think it was cool enough. Or perhaps they were afraid of Amy Winehouse comparisons - which sounds ridiculous, but exactly the type of thing somebody at a record label would highlight. And even with My Everything and Dangerous Woman, the 50 and 60s sound was still present in some form. It’s clearly stuck with her, because Positions had Ariana with looks from the 50s and 60s and had a song or two which threw back to these periods too.

So it’d be great to hear the oral history of Yours Truly from Ariana Grande herself and the team behind the album; how it came together and what changed, IF anything did change. Because maybe I’m reaching.

HENNYWAY.

Ariana’s performances were great. She’s in her element when it’s just her and a band. Ariana is the kind of singer who gets completely lost in singing. She’s not poised. And she’s not really putting on a performance per se. She’s constantly moving around. Putting the mic on the stand. Taking the mic off. Fidgeting. Adjusting her headphones. And doing whatever physically in the moment helps her to just sing, and it’s really cool to see.

I regularly forget just how good a singer Ariana Grande is. And it’s just as well these Yours Truly 10th anniversary performances released now to remind people. Especially in the wake of the news of her divorce and that she allegedly told SpongeBob to break up with his girlfriend, cos she’s bored, and embarked on an affair.

I really do hope that Ariana’s next album has her really taping into her voice more. It seems to be a trend in pop right now that the R&B adjacent ladies who can sing don’t really ‘sing’ on songs anymore. Ariana’s last couple of albums have featured a whole lot of talk singing. Chloe’s In Pieces album, same thing. Tori Kelly’s Tori EP, same thing. A couple of JoJo’s albums, same thing. Even Beyoncé with Renaissance to a degree. Although I do think Beyoncé got the balance just about right, with the songs structured and the vocal arranged in a way to balance things out. And when I mean ‘sing’, I don’t mean big-ass singing, belts and runs every 7 seconds from start to finish. But some actual singing, as opposed to just what sometimes feels like songs being recited in a manner that even Selena Noteless could do note for note.

A shot of Ariana Grande performing “Baby I” from her Live in London performances. The whole performance space is lit in blue, as Ariana is stood in the centre, turned away from the camera as she’s singing.
Ariana Grande Live from London | Republic Records

I would really like Ariana to say ‘Fuck it’ and do a Broadway / Musical style album. Not only would she sound great, but Broadway and Musicals are clearly something close to her heart. Whether this Broadway / Musical style album was of Broadway covers, a self cover album in the style of Broadway musicals or all new material in that style; I think it could be something really cool which cuts through. Ariana co-opting Broadway Musicals for an album would not only be fresh and original within pop, but could go a long way towards shifting the perception some have of Broadway. Theatre kids have always gotten a bad rap, and shows such as Glee certainly didn’t help that. But Broadway and musicals are such an important art form which touch on and inform so many things. From Disney movies, to live performances, to films. Maybe Ariana’s love for the 50s and 60s goes beyond just the sound, but also how prominent musicals were at this time, which would make a Broadway / Musical style album make even more sense.

Ariana is also in a unique position of not only being able to really sing, but being one of the few acts that could get away with doing such an album. So I hope she considers it. A lot of this may depend on how she’s received in the live adaptation of Wicked.

It was nice to hear her actually perform “Baby I”, a song she booted from setlists and refused to perform at the earliest possible opportunity. She’s not a fan of the song, but I am and always have been. And “Right There” and “The Way” actually sounded better live here, because the additional live strings tied them better to the likes of “Honeymoon Avenue” and “Tattooed Heart”.

🎤 Other performances from Live in London: Right There ⧉↗ | Tattooed Heart ⧉↗ | The Way ⧉↗

💿 Ariana Grande album reviews: Yours Truly | My Everything | Sweetener | Positions
🎛️ Mashup: Ariana Grande x Lady Gaga ⧉↗

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