Ariana Grande Embraces ‘Sleeping Beauty’ Splendor, Duets With Cynthia Erivo at Met Gala

Jon Blistein
·2 min read
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Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo performing at the 2024 Met Gala. - Credit: Kevin Mazur/MG24/Getty Images
Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo performing at the 2024 Met Gala. - Credit: Kevin Mazur/MG24/Getty Images

Ariana Grande hasn’t performed live much these last few years, but on Monday, she delivered a rare set at the 2024 Met Gala. Obviously, that’s a hard (practically impossible) ticket to get, but the pop star has since shared a bunch of videos from her set on TikTok.

Grande opened her seven-song set in the most apt way possible, with a cover of the 1959 Sleeping Beauty tune, “Once Upon a Dream,” to match the Met Museum Costume Institute’s spring exhibit, “Sleeping Beauties: Reawakening Fashion.”

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Grande continued the show with a pair of old favorites — “Into You” and “Seven Rings” — after which she performed a trio of tracks from her latest album, Eternal Sunshine: “The Boy Is Mine,” “We Can’t Be Friends (Wait for Your Love),” and “Yes, And?”

For her grand finale, Grande was joined on stage by her Wicked co-star Cynthia Erivo — not to perform a song from the musical, but a different song by Wicked lyricist and composer Stephen Schwartz: “When You Believe,” from The Prince of Egypt soundtrack (and originally sung by Mariah Carey and Whitney Houston).

In the caption of one of her TikTok videos, Grande called it an “honor” to perform at the Met Gala, saying: “Working on this performance was an experience I will cherish forever.” Along with thanking her many collaborators — including filmmaker Baz Luhrmann, who directed the performance — she shared a special word for the “divine and magical” Erivo, thanking her for “lighting up the museum brighter than any star in the sky ever could. It was my honor to have you and to sing with you as always.”

Grande released Eternal Sunshine back in March, marking her seventh studio album and first since 2020’s Positions. Along with making the album, Grande has been busy filming Wicked, the first part of which is set to arrive this November, with part two slated for 2025.

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