Ariana Grande returned to Saturday Night Live as musical guest to perform new songs from her latest album, Eternal Sunshine.
The 30-year-old pop superstar and actress took the stage at Studio 8H for the third time on March 9 to deliver powerful renditions of “We Can’t Be Friends (Wait for Your Love)” and “Imperfect for You” from her seventh full-length, which arrived on Friday.
The Wicked star was introduced by SNL host Josh Brolin for her first song and received an intro from her mother, Joan Grande, for her second performance.
Grande opened with “We Can’t Be Friends (Wait for Your Love),” delivering the midtempo track on a set designed as a living room while the song’s just-released music video played on a retro TV set in the background. The clip pays loving homage to the 2004 Jim Carrey sci-fi romance that inspired her album new album title.
The singer and actress returned for a stirring performance of “Imperfect for You,” where she performed amid an outdoorsy background reminiscent of the poppy field in Wizard of Oz.
Grande has appeared on SNL twice before: once as the musical guest in September 2014 and once pulling double-duty as both host and performer in March 2016.
The songstress launched her Eternal Sunshine era at the top of 2024 with the release of “Yes, And?” The Max Martin-helmed house bop debuted at No. 1 on the Hot 100 — her sixth song to do so — and later received a remix featuring fellow chart-conquering diva Mariah Carey. Inspired by the Oscar-winning Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, Grande’s new album features contributions from Martin, Ilya, Oscar Görres and Nonna, Ariana’s grandmother.
On Saturday evening, Grande also announced the “slightly deluxe” version of Eternal Sunshine, featuring four additional tracks: “Supernatural (featuring Troye Sivan), “Imperfect for You” (acoustic), “True Story” (a capella) and “Yes, And?” (featuring Carey).
Watch Grande’s SNL performances below. For those without cable, the broadcast streams on Peacock, which you can sign up for at the link here. Having a Peacock account also gives fans access to previous SNL episodes.
