Ariana Grande Opens the Billboard Music Awards With Fiery Performance of 'No Tears Left to Cry': Watch
Ariana Grande kicked off Sunday night's (May 20) 2018 Billboard Music Awards in the air. Lying across a trio of neon-lit umbrellas high above the stage at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, the singer descended through a cloud of black parasols held by her gang of dancers and made her way up a bank of white steps center stage to pose as she sang the first verse of her propulsive single "No Tears Left to Cry."
Wearing a black minidress, black leggings, six-inch knee-high stiletto boots and a black ribbon in her hair, Grande posed on the stairs, flipping her long ponytail as she moved through the set, which featured a series of white columns and arches with bricks and clouds projected onto their surfaces.
The dancers spun in circles around the singer, opening and closing their umbrellas while the audience grooved along to the infectious dance pop track, with the camera catching Camila Cabello enthusiastically singing along in her seat, as Taylor Swift and Shawn Mendes bopped along beside her. Grande ad-libbed over the beat, smiling and repeating "we turnin' up" as the performance drove to the finish line, a rain of digital snow covering the columns behind her and a smile across her face. In the audience, her brother Frankie Grande had his hands in the air, shouting his approval at his little sister's powerful performance.
Grande kicked off a night packed with superstar performances from host Kelly Clarkson, Salt-N-Pepa featuring En Vogue, Dua Lipa, Jennifer Lopez, John Legend, Macklemore & Kesha, Zedd, Maren Morris and Grey, Khalid & Normani Kordei, Shawn Mendes & Khalid, Christina Aguilera & Demi Lovato, BTS, Camila Cabello & Pharrell and Janet Jackson.
She opened the show for Sunday night's 2018 Billboard Music Awards.
And Ariana Grande left fans with No Tears Left To Cry when she performed the single from her upcoming album Sweetener at the MGM in Las Vegas.
The 24-year-old was dressed in all black for the performance which included both stellar vocals and dance moves.
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Opening the show: Ariana Grande left fans with No Tears Left To Cry when she performed the single from her upcoming album Sweetener at the MGM in Las Vegas during the Billboard Music Awards on Sunday
Ariana wore a black mini dress with a pleated bottom.
She paired the short ensemble with over-the-knee boots with six-inch stilettos.
The pop vocalist accessorised her monochrome look with a diamond choker and stud earrings.
Killer performance: The 25-year-old was dressed in all black for the performance which included both stellar vocals and dance moves
Stylish: Ariana wore a black mini dress with a pleated bottom and over-the-knee stiletto boots
Ariana opted to keep her blonde hair off her face, tying her extensions into a high pony-tail.
Her makeup sported her signature cat eye and she completed the look with a bold red lip.
She started the performance by lying on top of some umbrellas before making her way across the stage for the remainder of the track.
No distractions: Ariana opted to keep her blonde hair off her face, tying her extensions into a high pony-tail
Beauty: Her makeup sported her signature cat eye and she completed the look with a bold red lip
Balancing act: She started the performance by lying on top of some umbrellas before making her way across the stage for the remainder of the track
Ariana's performance marks nearly a year to the day since the Manchester bombing.
Her tribute single entered the charts one month ago - claiming her the record as the only artist to ever have had the lead single from their first four albums debut on the Top 100 chart.
Taking to Instagram following the release, she said she hoped the track brought both 'light and comfort but also makes you wanna dance and live ya best life!'.
Ariana Grande opened the 2018 Billboard Music Awards performing of her house-leaning single "No Tears Left to Cry."
Grande was lowered onto the stage on a platform made of umbrellas, where she joined a cadre of male dancers. As she stalked an intricately designed stage – full of arches, staircases and adjoining rooms – in high-heeled boots, she sang clearly and forcefully, returning frequently to the melismatic vocal runs that have long been one of her favorite tools.
"No Tears Left to Cry" captures some of the infectious energy of the crossover club singles that were popular in the Nineties. Grande performed while members of the crowd – including Taylor Swift and Camila Cabello – danced and sang along in their seats.
Grande released "No Tears Left to Cry" in April as the lead single from her upcoming fourth album, Sweetener. The song made an immediate impact, debuting in the top ten on the Hot 100, where it has stayed for three weeks.
Sweetener will follow Grande's 2016 effort, Dangerous Woman, though a release date has yet to be announced. Sweetener will reportedly feature collaborations with Pharrell Williams, Max Martin and Savan Kotecha, who co-wrote several of Grande's previous singles, including "Break Free" and "Bang Bang."
Per Variety, Sweetener will draw partial inspiration from Grande's tragic May 2017 concert in Manchester, where a suicide bomber killed 23 people and wounded approximately 500 outside the arena. In the aftermath, Grande helped organize the all-star "One Love Manchester" benefit concert, which raised over $13 million for victims. Grande was subsequently named the city's first "honorary citizen."
