Ariana Grande Joins Jason Robert Brown for ‘Last Five Years’ Cover

On Monday night, Ariana Grande joined composer Jason Robert Brown (13, The Last Five Years) for a special virtual concert to benefit the staff and musicians from famed Manhattan venue SubCulture. The intimate theater is currently shut down due to the coronavirus pandemic. 

In between live-tweeting the show, Grande popped in to do a remote cover of “Still Hurting” from Brown’s famed musical The Last Five Years. The show tells the tale of a couple falling in love and eventually divorcing — from both perspectives.

“Still Hurting” is the opening ballad from the perspective of Cathy, who is telling the tale of their famed romance in reverse chronological order. With Brown on piano, Grande gave a moving, passionate performance of the tune. 

“Still Hurting” — Jason Robert Brown with Ariana Grande from SubCulture NYC on Vimeo.

Brown and Grande first worked together when the “Thank U, Next” singer was a teenager. She starred in the Broadway musical 13, which Brown wrote the music for, before getting an even bigger break on Nickelodeon. They have remained friends and collaborators since, with Brown having written the track “Jason’s Song (Gave It Away)” for the deluxe version of her 2016 album Dangerous Woman.