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Ariana Grande impresses with Whitney Houston cover on 'Greatest Hits'

"Honored to be paying homage to my angel tonight," the singer said of Houston.

By Annie Martin
Ariana Grande at the Billboard Music Awards on May 22. The singer performed a Whitney Houston medley on Thursday's episode of "Greatest Hits." File Photo by Jim Ruymen/UPI
1 of 3 | Ariana Grande at the Billboard Music Awards on May 22. The singer performed a Whitney Houston medley on Thursday's episode of "Greatest Hits." File Photo by Jim Ruymen/UPI | License Photo

LOS ANGELES, Aug. 5 (UPI) -- Ariana Grande gave an impressive cover on Thursday's episode of Greatest Hits.

The 23-year-old pop star paid tribute to late singer Whitney Houston with a medley of "How Will I Know" and "Queen of the Night" on the ABC series' Season 1 finale.

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"Honored to be paying homage to my angel tonight. #greatesthits #whitneyhouston," Grande tweeted prior to her performance. "Hope you're smiling."

"How Will I Know" appears on Houston's debut album, Whitney Houston (1985), while "Queen of the Night" hails from The Bodyguard (1993) soundtrack. Houston accidentally drowned in a bathtub at age 48 in 2012.

"Whitney holds such a special place in my heart," Grande told Billboard magazine the next year. "She inspired me to start singing as a little girl."

"I'd watch The Bodyguard and tell my mom I wanted to do that one day," she shared. "Her riffs are so precise and I love her tone. She's my inspiration."

Celine Dion, John Legend and Adam Lambert were among the other stars who performed on the Greatest Hits finale. Grande last released the album Dangerous Woman in May, which debuted at No. 2 on the Billboard 200.

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