In Remembrance: Top 10 Naya Rivera Glee Performances

Strong-willed, powerful, and often brutal, Glee’s Santana Lopez was a phenomenon in every scene she was in. Played by actress Naya Rivera, Santana had a lot to give throughout her run on the show, especially when it came to tackling issues of identity and love. With Rivera’s recent passing, now is the time to look back on some of her best performances on Glee.

10. “La Isla Bonita”

While not one of her most memorable performances, Naya Rivera’s version of “La Isla Bonita” with Ricky Martin (playing the character David Martinez) is still incredible. Taking place in the late season three episode “The Spanish Teacher,” this song serves to highlight the problem with Will Schuester’s teaching methods as a Spanish teacher. The glee club is his real passion, and his knowledge of Latinx culture is outdated and highly stereotypical throughout the show.

As the only Hispanic member of the main cast, this performance by Naya Rivera has both passion and a deeper purpose. It is through this performance and the actions of her character in this episode that Schuester ultimately realizes he isn’t fit to be a Spanish teacher and that his students deserve to have a teacher who is knowledgeable about actual Spanish culture.

Beyond its importance to the show and to a larger societal issue, this song is also just a lot of fun to watch! Naya’s voice meshes well with Ricky Martin’s and her dancing and overall demeanor during the performance is a joy to watch.

9. “Shake It Out”

Tackling another important issue, “Shake It Out” performed by Santana, Tina, and Mercedes deals with personal strength and domestic violence concerns. After a hilarious but deeply inappropriate performance of “Cell Block Tango” in response to some flippant comments by the girls about domestic abuse, they come together to perform “Shake It Out” for Coach Beiste.

This whole song is amazing, hitting both sadness and hope in a way that resonates beyond the final notes, but it’s especially Naya Rivera’s voice that achieves this. As she begins the piece, her quiet strength sets the tone for the rest of the performance.

8. “Back To Black”

This Santana song is her audition for a solo at the Nationals in season two of Glee. Although she doesn’t get the solo – and no surprise there, Rachel is notorious for getting almost every solo available to the members of the glee club – her performance shows off her character and solidly puts her in the same bracket as Kurt, Mercedes, and Rachel.

While much of Santana’s time in the club and in the show is spent making fun of its members and even sabotaging it at times for Coach Sue, this moment makes it clear that her character really does enjoy singing and being a part of the team. While Jesse St. James states that she doesn’t show enough emotion during the song, and perhaps he’s right, this progression of character is super important, and it is still an incredible song performed by Naya Rivera.

7. “Gloria”

Bringing Santana’s drama to work, “Gloria” performed by Naya Rivera, Lea Michele, and Adam Lambert, really showcases Naya’s acting abilities. This song is upbeat and fun to listen to, but it’s really the visual performance of Santana and Rachel fighting both musically and physically over Elliott that earns it a spot on this list.

Listening to the song, you can hear the constant switch off between Naya and Lea’s voices, with Adam as the constant throughout, but watching it on screen really pulls in a whole new layer. In the scene they are standing in front of each other, pushing each other over, and even grabbing Elliott and dragging him away throughout the duration of this performance. It’s honestly hilarious, and the levels of pettiness shown by both characters in this moment are monumental.

6. “Songbird”

Any fan of Glee knows that the relationship between Santana and Brittany on the show is one of the most beautiful. This relationship for me personally was one of the first representations of a lesbian relationship I had the chance to see, so it was super important in forming my understanding of the love two women can have for one another.

Throughout the show, Santana struggles with her sexuality and her feelings for Brittany. In this particular episode, rumors are spreading about several members of the glee club, including a rumor from Brittany that Santana “plays for the other team.” The team she is talking about is the glee club, but people are still speculating about Santana being gay. Although she denies it to everyone else and won’t let Brittany ask her to prom, she does sing “Songbird” alone to Brittany in the choir room to let her know deep down how she truly feels about her.

Naya Rivera’s portrayal of that love and her character’s quiet longing is incredibly moving. Although things don’t end happily for their relationship during this episode – with Santana remaining firmly in the closet – this open admittance to Brittany herself about what she feels is so important. Naya’s singing and acting in this scene gives the audience hope that some day we will get to see these two characters together as a real couple, and – spoiler alert – we do.

5. “Girl On Fire”

Continuing the relationship between Santana and Brittany, the song in season four comes off of another confrontation with Brittany, this time acknowledging that she needs to move on and try to have a life. “Girl On Fire” has a lot of power and emotion behind it, and the performance ends with Santana moving to New York to try and pursue her dreams.

This whole song is incredible from start to finish. Naya Rivera begins by showing Santana’s struggle and her uncertainty as she realizes she can’t have Brittany and she shouldn’t stay in Ohio to try and get her back either. By the end of the song, she has a smile and is taking a step toward a new life and hopefully new happiness. Although Kurt and Rachel may be surprised and not entirely pleased to see her at their door, the audience is thrilled to watch Santana break away and start again.

4. “Make No Mistake (She’s Mine)”

Another emotional Naya Rivera piece from the same episode, “Make No Mistake (She’s Mine)” really hits home just how much Santana loves Brittany. Where normally Glee duets are more of a partnership, this is clearly a competition between Santana and Sam for Brittany’s affections. Yet, despite the clashing nature of their character’s objectives, Naya and Chord Overstreet sound amazing together, and their passions really shine throughout this performance.

Given the obvious depth of Santana’s feelings and the eventual resolution of the Santana-Brittany relationship, Naya Rivera’s moments in this song are especially powerful and moving. No matter your thoughts on these relationships in this moment of the show, it is clear just how much Santana loves Brittany through Naya’s stellar performance.

3. “Smooth Criminal”

If you’re looking for a song that showcases some badass Santana moments, look no further than her duet of “Smooth Criminal” with Sebastian Smythe, played by Grant Gustin. Similar to the previous song, this song is a faceoff, but where “Make No Mistake” is slow and heartfelt, “Smooth Criminal” is dramatic and full of energy.

Trying to get a confession out of Sebastian about purposely trying to injure Kurt – and accidentally nearly blinding Blaine in the process – Santana confronts Sebastian, leading to this spectacular performance. It’s amazing right from the start, with the duo 2CELLOS providing a musical background to this showdown.

The two characters musically fight it out, all while physically circling each other. The physical set up of the scene is brilliant, and this song showcases both the beauty of Naya Rivera’s solo voice as well as her seamless ability to blend in harmony with someone else.

2. “Valerie”

If there’s any song that fans will recognize as a Santana classic, it’s her version of “Valerie.” First off, it’s a huge moment for the glee club and for the show, as it is a moment where Rachel Barry doesn’t have a solo at sectionals. Many of the conflicts in the show are caused by Rachel and her ego, so having this moment for other characters to shine is truly a breath of fresh air.

More than that, Santana (and by extension Naya) shows that she can have just as much stage presence and energy as Rachel, and that they can still win without Rachel in the lead. Technically, they tied for first place, but that’s still a win in my book since it earns them a spot in the next competition.

It was also a performance that kept on giving, with Naya performing the song as part of the Glee tour and singing it again in season five, this time with Brittany alongside her. It has so much energy and it showcases Santana’s voice brilliantly.

1. “If I Die Young”

This performance is, hands down, the best Naya Rivera performance in the entirety of Glee. For one thing, it is up there as one of the most emotionally driven performances on the show, given the context for it. “If I Die Young” was one of the songs performed in the heartbreaking episode “The Quarterback” in Glee’s fifth season.

This episode was a tribute to the actor Cory Montieth, who played one of the main characters, Finn, on the show before his death in 2013. While the episode focuses on the characters themselves dealing with Finn’s death, it also gives stirring insight into the feelings of the many actors who worked with Montieth.

While Rivera’s character, Santana, had a rather complicated relationship with Finn, Naya Rivera and Cory Montieth were friends. The emotions she goes through when performing “If I Die Young” are raw and absolutely heartbreaking to watch, but they also portray an incredible power.

With most – if not all – of this episode being filmed in one take due to the emotions of both the cast and crew, this performance is as breathtaking as it is crushing to watch. It is especially hard to see considering that, in the scene at least, the song is unfinished, with Santana breaking down into tears while singing and unable to continue. While Naya is always a pleasure to watch, this emotional song lays everything out for the audience to see, and it’s absolutely worth the tears to watch again.

Start Listening

Whether you’re a long-time Glee fan or just getting started, it’s plain to see that Naya Rivera’s impact as a performer on the show has been enormous. Santana provides energy, sass, and a voice that isn’t often seen on television. Her relationship with Brittany is inspiring and shows a soft contrast to her typically thorny exterior.

Though Naya Rivera sadly isn’t with us anymore, there are all these songs, moments, and memories to look back on and remember her, and so many more in the rest of the show. So take a look or just a listen, and remember a spectacular singer, dancer, actress, and person.