21 pop culture moments from 2018 we’re celebrating

Ariana Grande pays tribute to Aretha Franklin

2018 was quite a year for Ariana Grande. Even as her career reached new heights thanks to a chart-topping, critically lauded album and a buzzy single, the singer endured a major loss when Mac Miller, her close friend and collaborator, died from a drug overdose. Her personal tragedy came on the heels of a mass tragedy: in 2017, a suicide bomber killed 23 people outside the Manchester arena where Grande was performing.

On Aug. 31, the dual narratives – the professional triumph and the personal turmoil – converged in a breathtaking manner. Along with Stevie Wonder, Jennifer Hudson, and other artists, Grande performed at the Detroit funeral service held for Aretha Franklin, who died at 76 from pancreatic cancer.

Public funerals can be tricky affairs, forcing private grief out into the open. As such, they often serve as much to celebrate life as to lament death, and in Franklin’s, mourning was intertwined with an undercurrent of joy. It was a fitting tribute to the Queen of Soul, a singer beloved for her power and passion.

Grande’s rendition of “(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman” encapsulates the spirit of the event. While the polished vocals exhibited in her previous performance on The Tonight Show are absent, sporadically drowned out by the background music, she compensates for it with raw emotion. It’s a stripped-down performance, free of distractions or self-indulgent embellishments, letting the song speak for itself. At a time when the music industry seems bogged down in drama and theatrics, there’s something heartening about a young talent recognizing the legacy of a past icon. For once, music takes center stage.