Simu Liu was not the musical guest of Saturday Night Live – Saweetie was — but that didn’t stop the first host from showing off his singing skills on the Nov. 20 episode. at Liu’s the opening monologue was short. He mostly told his realistic story of asking Marvel for an Asian superhero via Twitter in 2014 and doing kid’s parties as Spider-Man before making history as a Marvel superhero. Although his spiel ended in a badass, “I’m Shang-Chi, bitch“, it was his version of a Backstreet Boys classic that stood out the most.
In the “Karaoke Recap” skit, Kenan Thompson and Chloe Fineman reenacted the most memorable performances at a seedy karaoke venue in Wilmington, North Carolina, and Liu wowed with a mic. As “Finance Bro Trying to Get Laid”, the Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings The actor took the stage wearing a vest with a popped collar (of course), then began his song number, dedicating it to “all the ladies in the house.” He added, “I don’t like this song but I know you like it,” as the intro to “I Want It That Way” began to play.
The actor, who sometimes serenades his fans on Instagram and once told Bustle he wanted to be in a Marvel musical, nailed his short performance, even doing some of the boy band’s signature dance moves . “I make a lot of money,” he injected into the character between verses.
The skit also featured hilarious karaoke performances from the rest of the cast. Bowen Yang, as The Guy Who Was Doing Great Until the High Notes Came In, did a terrific job singing A-ha’s “Take On Me.” Until the last note where it fell pretty flat. Ego Nwodim, as The Woman Who’s Been Overserved, gave a drunken, scrambled rendition of “Su Soppa Layla” (read: Sade’s “Smooth Operator” in sober language.) Pete Davidson also took the mic, singing ” Mad World” as The Quiet Dude in the hoodie. (It wasn’t her only song number that night.) Afterward, Melissa Villaseñor and James Austin Johnson nailed their Simpsons impression by performing a duet “Islands in the Stream.”
In the end, it was Cecily Strong who was the diva of the night, singing her rendition of Whitney Houston’s “I Will Always Love You,” although she claimed a “friend” signed her up.
