MTV to bring back ‘TRL’ for Ariana Grande special
By Josh Haggis
MTV has announced it is resurrecting iconic music show Total Request Live (TRL) for a one-off Ariana Grande special next month (July).
TRL ran for over 2,000 episodes between 1998 and 2008, and featured a mix of interviews, music videos and performances from some of the world’s biggest popstars.
The new 30-minute edition will air on MTV in the US on July 2, and will feature the debut of Grande’s next single Break Free, which has been produced by Lady Gaga collaborator Zedd.
Grande will also give a special acoustic performance her current US hit single, Problem.
“It’s a huge honour to be able to bring back a show like TRL, I used to love watching it growing up,” said the former Nickelodeon star in a statement released by MTV. “Can’t wait to celebrate with my loves in Times Square. Might have some surprises too.”
Grande’s summer smash Problem, featuring Aussie rapper Iggy Azalea, sold 438,000 copies in its first week of release in the US last month (May), giving her the fourth highest first-week sales ever for a track by a female recording artist.
The track is taken from Grande’s yet-to-be-titled second album. Her debut album, 2013′s Yours Truly, featured the US top ten hit The Way, and debuted at number one on the Billboard 200 and number seven in the UK.
Problem will be released in the UK this Sunday (June 29).
Meanwhile, Ariana Grande’s out gay brother is set to appear in the new season of Big Brother USA – click here to find out more.