VIDEO: Watch Ariana Grande's Broadway & Hip Hop Mash-Up on MTV

By: Jul. 03, 2014
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MTV brought back its legendary music series "TRL" with Ariana Grande yesterday for one day only to take over the iconic MTV Times Square studio for "Total Ariana Live". Hosted by MTV News' Sway Calloway, the 30-minute special brought fans closer to Ariana than ever before where she performed a stripped down version of her #1 hit "Problem," and debuted her new single, "Break Free."

During the show, host Sway challenged the singer to a round of "Hip-Hop Mix-up," a hip-hop roulette game in which Grande randomly spun two wheels, one landing on a hip-hop song, the other determining the musical style to sing in.

Determined to return to her musical theater roots, the '13' star manipulated the game just a tad in order to have wheel #1 land on "Broadway" for singing style . For her second spin, the wheel stopped on A$AP Rocky's "F-kin' Problems." Quipped Grande, "There, I spun it. It landed where I wanted!"

Below, check out the mash-up that followed as Grande channels Barbra Streisand singing hip hop. And click here to check out Grande singing a jazzy, breathy acoustical version of 'Problem' - and click here to get a first listen to her new single, 'Break Free'!

During the special presentation, Grande was the first singer to be announced to be performing at 2014 MTV Video Music Awards. With the help of host Sway Calloway, the singer revealed the news by unveiling a billboard celebrating her first appearance on the VMA stage.

ARIANA GRANDE first landed at the top with her first full-length album for Republic Records, Yours Truly. It debuted at #1 on the Billboard Top 200, Billboard Digital Albums Chart, and iTunes Overall Albums Chart. Moreover, it yielded the game-changing pop smash "The Way" featuring Mac Miller. One of 2013's defining songs, the single went double-platinum, hit the Top 10 of the Billboard Hot 100 and reached #1 on the iTunes Overall Top Songs Chart. In the aftermath, she was named "Best New Artist" at The American Music Awards in 2013.GRANDE's magnetic charm, impressive voice, and astounding presence have enchanted millions of fans worldwide. 2014 saw her reach incredible heights right out of the gate. The first single from her sophomore album, "Problem" featuring Iggy Azalea, saw her become the "youngest woman to debut with over 400K sold first-week".

In addition to ranking as the 4th "highest digital song debut for a female artist" and 8th highest ever, the platinum smash debuted at #1 on 50 countries, topping the iTunes overall Top Songs and Pop Songs charts for four weeks. At radio, it went Top 10 at Top 40 and Top 5 at Rhythm. Other accolades followed throughout the year with GRANDE winning "Favorite Breakout Artist" at the People's Choice Awards 2014, the "Young Influencer Award" at the iHeartRadio Music Awards, the "Radio Disney Chart Topper Award", and more.

Grande made her Broadway debut in the musical '13.'



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