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Mom proudly watches autistic son bring down the house singing Ariana Grande karaoke on first cruise

"POV: you started off the cruise as a shy karaoke novice but by the end became a karaoke legend thanks to the best backup strangers ever."

Image via Canva

Young man with autism sings karaoke on his first cruise.

Anyone who's been on a cruise knows that there are endless activities you can participate in while at sea. And for 19-year-old Kevin (@raisingkevin_), a young man with autism and ADHD, there was one activity that he was absolutely drawn to while on his first Caribbean cruise–karaoke.

Kevin's mom and main caretaker Tola documented his first time on a cruise and the impact his joy and enthusiasm for singing on the mic had on everyone. Not only was he embraced by a group of total strangers, but he personally transformed from a timid performer to a 'karaoke legend' by the end of the voyage.

"POV: my son is 19 and has a diagnosis of autism & ADHD. Here he is on a Caribbean cruise in a room full of 'strangers' singing karaoke as off tune as possible without a care in the world," she wrote in the caption.

In the video, Kevin is holding a mic and passionately singing Ariana Grande's song "Dangerous Woman" to an entire room full of supportive people who are singing along with him, including his mom Tola. He doesn't waver once, and his mom added in the caption, "As a parent I used to focus on 'shielding' him in the name of 'protecting' him from the 'bad people in the world' but realized that in doing that I was also shielding him from all the 'good people' in the world too."


ariana grande, singer, gif, celebrity, song, karaoke Ariana Grande Wink GIF by The VoiceGiphy

In the comments, Tola shared how the kindness of strangers was the epitome of inclusion. "Kev has never met anyone in this video prior to this trip but here they are cheering him on like he their nephew! Inclusion at its finest! Hope this encourages other parents to be a lil less scared ❤️," she wrote.

Viewers were deeply impacted by Kevin's bravery and the support of strangers.

"I feel this--- I felt me shielding my son, was protecting, but if anything I was holding that bright light back because I see how weird their world is. But-- how can my sweet heart fly if I hold his wings. Thank you for this reminder❤️❤️❤️❤️."

"My lil neurodivergent heart is so full seeing him have a positive public group✨ moment ✨love that for Kev 💕."

In another video from the cruise, Kevin crushed Ed Sheeran's "Perfect" in front of another crowd. And in the comments, Tola shared more about Kevin's love for karaoke during the cruise and the community that supported him. "So [I] asked Kev what his favorite part of the cruise was and he said the karaoke. Shall we now call him karaoke Kev? 🤣 But really one of the best parts of our cruise was seeing Kev get more and more comfortable with singing some of his favorite tunes in front of strangers who became friends ❤️," she wrote.


Ed Sheeran, singer, snap, karaoke, cruiseEd Sheeran Television GIF by The VoiceGiphy

And viewers cannot get enough of his energy. "Kev really got his entire life on this cruise!! 😂" one wrote. Another commented, "I’m so glad he had a good time and opened up he’s a brave soul love ya Kevin and your mom is a wonderful woman for sharing 👏👏🔥❤️😍❤️👏👏👏."

Saturday Night Live/Youtube

Pete Davidson on "Saturday Night Live"

Singer Ariana Grande and "Saturday Night Live" cast member Pete Davidson were dating back in May of 2018.

Neither star had confirmed the relationship outright, but their reps weren't pushing back on reports claiming the two had linked up either. The singer and comedian's playful interactions on Instagram certainly suggested to fans the romance was budding.


While many celebrated the news, it inevitably came with a side of backlash too. Some of the criticism, however, crossed an unfortunate line.

Trolls began pointing to Davidson's history of mental illness to suggest he couldn't be in a healthy relationship.

The comedian felt it necessary to shut that down. Fast.

"Normally, I wouldn't comment on something like this cause like, fuck you," Davidson wrote in a note he shared to his Instagram story. "But [I've] been hearing a lot of 'people with BPD [Borderline Personality Disorder] can't be in relationships' talk. I just wanna let you know that's not true."

Davidson said he was diagnosed with BPD in 2016 after having lived through a "nightmare" year that involved rehab and grappling with the ups and downs of diagnosis. The comedian has also spoken openly about living with depression.

"Just because someone has a mental illness does not mean they can't be happy and in a relationship," Davidson wrote. "It also doesn't mean that person makes the relationship toxic."

After noting there are many life-changing treatments available for people like him, Davidson emphasized the importance of combating stigmas associated with mental illness.

"I just think it's fucked up to stigmatize people as crazy and say that they are unable to do stuff that anyone can do," he wrote. "It's not their fault and it's the wrong way for people to look at things."

Davidson has been praised by mental health advocates for using his celebrity to humanize his illnesses — and poking fun at himself along the way.

In one "SNL" segment that aired shortly after he went public with his diagnoses, the comedian spoke candidly about his mental illness with "Weekend Update" host Colin Jost.

"If you're in the cast of a late-night comedy show, it might help if they, you know, do more of your comedy sketches," Davidson joked about ways others can help him get through his dark times. "I was born depressed, but it might make me feel better if I was on TV more."

Like many comedians, Davidson often uses brash and cringeworthy lines as a form of therapy to overcome trauma. His father died on 9/11, for instance, and the comedian's folded the devastating loss into his routine with a comedic spin.

Laughter may not be the best medicine, but it certainly can help.

Davidson ended his message on Instagram clarifying why he decided to speak up in the first place.

"I'm simply writing this because I want everyone out there who has an illness to know that it's not true [that you can't be mentally ill and be in a relationship] and that anyone who says that is ill and full of shit," he wrote. "Mental illness is not a joke; it's a real thing."

"For all those struggling I want you to know that I love you and I understand you and it is going to be OK," Davidson concluded. "That's all. Love to everyone else."


This story originally appeared on 05.25.18

Pop Culture

Ariana Grande wows TikTok with a stunning, stripped down cover of 'Over The Rainbow'

Grande is currently filming a live adaptation of the musical “Wicked."

This pink sweater is everything.

Ariana Grande might be best known as a pop queen, but her musical theatre talents run deep. She was a performer on Broadway at the age of nine, long before she began racking up Grammys. And even throughout her adult career, she’ll wave that theatre kid flag once in a while, as she did for NBC’s “Hairspray Live!”

Grande is even currently filming a live adaptation of the musical “Wicked,” playing the role of Galinda, aka Glinda the Good Witch. While the movie might not release until Christmas of 2024, the singer treated fans to an early taste of Oz with a gorgeous rendition of “Somewhere Over The Rainbow,” originally sung by Judy Garland in the 1939 film “The Wizard of Oz.”


The video shows Grande chilling in a kitchen, completely covered up in a giant pink yarn sweater—equal parts for comfort and hiding her golden Glinda locks, to be sure—as she effortlessly captures that same kind of dreamy lilt that Garland once did for the tune. Perhaps this shouldn’t come as a surprise, since Grande is a whiz at musical impressions.

Listen. It’s stunning.

@arianagrande

wanted to sing you a little something but don’t want to sing anything that is not “Ozian” at the moment :) keeping to my little bubble for now … done with lots of love.

♬ original sound - arianagrande

“Wanted to sing you a little something but don’t want to sing anything that is not ‘Ozian’ at the moment :) keeping to my little bubble for now,” Grande wrote in the video’s caption. “Done with lots of love.” The cover comes as a polite response to a fan who asked, “Why aren’t you a singer anymore?” since Grande hasn’t put out a new album since 2020.

Understandably, filming two huge movies at the same time (“Wicked” director Jon Chu previously announced that the movie would be split into two parts) leaves little time to produce new music. But rest assured, Grande is, and probably always will be, a SINGER. (All-caps necessary to encapsulate all that talent.)

Grande’s clip quickly went viral, reaching yet another famous Glinda—Kristin Chenoweth. Chenoweth, who originated the "Wicked" role on Broadway, threw on a hot pink feathered sweater and performed a TikTok duet of the song, along with the caption, “Just two Ozians.”

Is there any better seal of approval than a duet with the OG Galinda herself? I don't think so.

@kristinchenoweth Just two Ozians 🌈💞 @arianagrande #wicked #glinda #galinda #wizardofoz #overtherainbow ♬ original sound - arianagrande

“Wicked” boasts an impressive cast of not only Grande, but Cynthia Erivo as Elphaba, Michelle Yeoh as Madame Morrible and Jeff Goldblum as The Wizard of Oz. And if this cover is any indicator, it seems like it’s going to be a lovely retelling of the story…with one amazing soundtrack.

Kelly Clarkson and Ariana Grande duked it out on Jimmy Fallon's 'The Tonight Show.'

There are pop stars, and then there are singers. While recording studio technology can make people sound like amazing singers, the proof is in their live performances.

Kelly Clarkson and Ariana Grande took it a whole step further on "The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon," delivering not only a jaw-dropping live performance but doing so in the form of revolving pop diva hits in an "impossible karaoke" showdown. In less than five minutes, they showed off their combined ability to nail pretty much anything, from imitating iconic singers' styles to belting out well-known songs with their own vocal stylings.

Watch this and try not to be impressed:


There's a reason Kelly Clarkson won the first season of "American Idol" and went on to become a multiplatinum recording artist. What's funny is seeing some people in the replies saying they didn't know she could sing like that. Yes. Yes she can. And she has since the beginning.

Check out this performance of Celine Dion's "I Surrender" during the first season of "American Idol." At this point, she was an amateur singer and her vocal chords were stressed after weeks of rehearsing and competing, and she still knocked it out of the park. Simon Cowell and Randy Jackson both said they'd put her in the same league as Whitney Houston, Mariah Carey and Celine Dion, and she's shown she deserves that classification over and over again since.

And Ariana Grande has made a name for herself for her ability to impersonate different singers while also sounding freaking amazing. Jimmy Fallon has had her on his show multiple times doing musical impressions. Check this one out from when she was just 21 years old. I mean, singing "The Wheels on the Bus" as Christina Aguilera? The woman can sing. Period.

So of course, having Kelly Clarkson and Ariana Grande singing together is a real treat. And they've gifted us with a delicious duet for the holiday season with a live performance of "Santa, Can't You Hear Me." Their voices complement one another so beautifully, with Grande's silvery sweetness and Clarkson's rich resonance. The amount of talent pouring forth from these ladies is simply unreal.

As Jimmy Fallon said, "How?"