There are moments in time when you will never forget where you were. The first moon landing. The 1968 Chicago Democratic Convention Riot. The debut of The Jackson 5. The fall of The Berlin Wall. The Shuttle Challenger Explosion. The election of Barack Obama as America’s first black president. The New England Patriots first Super Bowl victory. The death of Michael Jackson. The list of times you will never forget and where you were are not that many. But among my history, the debut of Ariana Grande on Saturday Night Live was one of them – I was watching the emergence of the new Queen of Soul before my eyes and ears.
Yep, you read that right. Aretha Franklin has been, for decades, the undisputed Queen of Soul. But Ariana Grande, with her smooth, rich, rangy voice, is the rightful heir to the throne.
I came to that conclusion after hearing Grande do a spot-on impersonation of the late Whitney Houston. This one:
This was shocking. I just fell out of my chair. Even my 81 year old Mom, who has seen it all in pop culture, had to pause. “That girl is spot on”, she said. “I hope she takes care of herself.
My Mom said that as a sobering reflection of how we have lost so many super talents. We are afraid to lose them because we have been hurt so much. We were not prepared for this Ariana on SNL. I certainly wasn’t.
I was warmed up for it by hearing Grande sing her new song “Dangerous Woman” – a truly soulful anthem about how a woman loves a bad man. It’s a work that could stand the test of time in late 1960s Chicago or in Motown. It takes you back as much as it entertains. It’s not the lyrics – it’s the voice. It’s Ariana Grande singing so well we turn the words to fit our gender just so we can sing it ourselves.
After hitting a few marks with song like “Problems”, Ariana Grande has grown up with Dangerous Woman – in fact, that was the intent. Ms. Grande has said that she was ready to be that woman – to take on the World – and the song reflects that. Thing is, it’s something to say that, as we all can dream to be something, but to do it is another thing. In essentially becoming an adult via Dangerous Woman, Ariana Grande has shown us what she is fully capable of.
Being Queen of Soul.
Ariana’s talent transcends color – as far as I’m concerned, she’s an honorary black woman. If Ms. Grande can take that voice and match it with words that are social commentary, she could be the one person who Donald Trump would suspend his presidential campaign for. He would want to invest in getting her behind the Trump brand, which is already in bad need of rehabilitation.
All bow down to Ariana Grande. President Obama might as well have a Presidential Medal Of Freedom put on her now, before he leaves office and regrets it.
Stay tuned.
Zennie Abraham | Zennie Abraham or “Zennie62” is the founder of Zennie62Media which consists of zennie62blog.com and a multimedia blog news aggregator and video network, and 78-blog network, with social media and content development services and consulting. Zennie is a pioneer video blogger, YouTube Partner, social media practitioner, game developer, and pundit. Note: news aggregator content does not reflect the personal views of Mr. Abraham.