Ariana Grande made her Grammy Awards debut Sunday, bringing the house down with a poignant performance of "Just a Little Bit of Your Heart."
The song showcased her vocal talent, but marked a seismic shift from the dance-driven singles that have propelled her to the top of the pop charts.
It was her powerful voice that first put her on people’s radar, though, before the success of hits like "Love Me Harder," "Break Free" and "Problem."
In that sense, and especially given the more subdued tone of the Grammys overall, "Just a Little Bit of Your Heart" was the ideal pick for her Sunday.
Backed by violinists, the 21-year-old Grande let her massive voice take center stage for the earnest song, which was co-written by Harry Styles.
While she was not among the 2015 Grammy Awards winners, Ariana’s smash album My Everything earned a nomination for Best Pop Vocal Album.
Her collaboration with Jessie J and Nicki Minaj, "Bang Bang," also garnered Grammy recognition in the category of Best Pop Duo/Group Performance.
"Bang Bang" had been her most frequent awards show song choice, and we suspect we haven’t heard the last of that or "Love Me Harder" live.
It was great to hear a change of pace with "Just a Little Bit of Your Heart," however, and she more than held her own in the stripped-down performance.
See more terrific live performances from last night, including Sia and the show-ending, gospel-influenced Beyonce Grammy performance, below: