The fact that global hitmaker T-Pain is actually a world-class singer underneath the auto-tune effects he helped pioneer is far from a new revelation. His 2014 NPR Tiny Desk Concert is the stuff of internet legend, and he emerged victorious from the first season of FOX‘s The Masked Singer thanks to his entrancing vocal abilities. In a new live performance shared to YouTube, On Top of The Covers (Live From The Sun Rose), the crooner adds to his “wait, that’s T-Pain?” lore with a stunning jazz lounge revue featuring covers of everyone from Journey to Sam Smith to Black Sabbath and beyond.
“For all the people who wanted an album of me singing live, this is my holiday gift to you. For the Tiny Desk & Masked Singer fans & everyone in between, you ain’t heard nothing yet 😂 ,” T-Pain wrote in a post on social media. “Thank you all for supporting me through this wild journey.”
The performance, filmed earlier this year at The Sun Rose in Los Angeles, includes live renditions of some of the unexpected covers from T-Pain’s acclaimed 2023 release, On Top of The Covers, and beyond—all reimagined sans autotune, and all equally chill-inducing. The (unmasked) singer’s lighthearted laughs, self-effacing banter, and heartfelt anecdotes between songs only make the performance more endearing.
“I’m not gonna lie to you, this is cool as f—,” a charismatic T-Pain, dressed in a tiger-print robe, tells the intimate crowd as he emerges to the slinky sounds of George Gershwin‘s “Summertime” as played by a tasteful backing band. He’s not wrong. It’s hard not to like this guy, and it’s even harder to deny his prowess as a singer. While the robe comes off quickly, that ambiance comfort and intimacy lingers throughout the hourlong set.
With his unfiltered voice in the spotlight throughout, the man behind “I’m N Luv (Wit a Stripper)” puts a powerful mark on reimagined covers, often stringing together multiple songs into energetic medleys or ushering in a quiet moment with a wistful ballad. The set includes unique versions of “That’s Life” (popularized by Frank Sinatra), “Don’t Stop Believin'” (Journey), “Shout” (The Isley Brothers), “Never Too Much” (Luther Vandross), “American Woman” (The Guess Who), “I Don’t Wanna Be” (Gavin DeGraw), “This Is How We Do It” (Montell Jordan), “Tennessee Whiskey” (Dean Dillon and Linda Hargrove, popularized by Chris Stapleton), “Stay With Me” (Sam Smith), “A Change Is Gonna Come” (Sam Cooke), “War Pigs” (Black Sabbath), “Crazy” (Gnarls Barkley) and more. He also mixes in some lounge-band takes on a few of his originals, from his Smino “Klink” remix to a set-closing rendition of “Buy U a Drank”.
Related: T-Pain Cancels Fall Tour By Admitting He And His Team “F*cked Up” [Watch]
“I didn’t know I was gonna do this,” he says late in the show. “I thought I was gonna be a rapper for, like, a while. That’s what it was. … We all have this vision. When we get into the industry we all have this vision of, like, arenas and really big f—in’ crowds, but over the years I’ve realized, and we all realize, that we don’t get to connect with people, like, ever. … In that mass crowd, we don’t get to see, like, anybody. … The real connection is being able to see people, especially when you see people that you love in the room and s— and you’ve got reasons that you’re doing the songs you’re doing. … To me, this is superstardom.”
Watch the full T-Pain On Top of The Covers (Live from The Sun Rose) performance or listen to the audio below. Click below for a complete track listing.
In other T-Pain news, the artist recently introduced his latest project, Bluez Brothaz, alongside his Nappy Boy Entertainment signee Young Ca$h. To check out their lead single, “The Introduction”, click here. T-Pain recently announced that he will mount his first-ever Las Vegas residency in 2024. The extended run, set to take place at both Zouk Nightclub and Ayu Dayclub will kick off in February and continue periodically with shows in April, May, and July. For more information on upcoming tour dates, head here.
T-Pain – On Top of The Covers (Live from The Sun Rose) – Full Video
T-Pain – On Top of The Covers (Live from The Sun Rose) – Full Audio
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