Japanese Breakfast Makes Her ‘SNL’ Debut With Beaming Performances Of ‘Be Sweet’ And ‘Paprika’

After almost four years without an album, Michelle Zauner returned with Jubilee, her third album as Japanese Breakfast, last summer. “After spending the last five years writing about grief, I wanted our follow up to be about joy,” she said about the 10-track project. Jubilee brought Japanese Breakfast plenty of accolades and first-time moments, like two Grammy nominations, to magnify the success of the album. It also earned her the opportunity to make her debut on Saturday Night Live which she did last night. Here, she performed two songs from Jubilee, “Be Sweet” and “Paprika,” on the Natasha Lyonne-hosted episode.

Zauner kicked off the night with a performance of “Be Sweet.” She appeared on stage in a deep magenta dress and knee-high leather boots with a band as pink and blue light bulbs surrounded her as she sung the uplifting track. Later on, she returned with the same band for a rendition of “Paprika,” and for this one, she changed into a dashing white dress and invited a trio of horn players to amplify the performance.

Japanese Breakfast’s performance on Saturday Night Live occurred on the show’s season 47 finale. The season’s conclusion also marks the departure of SNL cast members Pete Davidson, Aidy Bryant, Kate McKinnon, and Kyle Mooney.

You can watch both of Japanese Breakfast’s SNL performances in the videos above.