Lilly Singh spoke about the major changes to her late-night talk show, NBC's "A Little Late," ahead of the season two premiere on January 11.- "I definitely think I've learned how to insert more of my authentic self into the thread of this show and bring a little bit more of my flavors," she told Insider while promoting Jane Walker by Johnnie Walker's "First Women" campaign.
- Singh continued: "So I think you'll see that it's a little looser, a little more imperfect."
- Season two will feature sketch
comedy , a new set in a Los Angeles home, and no studio audience, Singh confirmed to Insider.
Ahead of the season two premiere of NBC's "
"My learning curve was steep in season one," the comedian, 32, told Insider while promoting Jane Walker by Johnnie Walker's "First Women" campaign, which highlights and funds 15 women-owned businesses through a funding marketplace called iFundWomen.
Now, "A Little Late" is headed into its sophomore season, and Singh - the show's creator, executive producer, and host - is working with a brand new showrunner, Neil Punsalan, along with an almost entirely new writing team. And this time around, the YouTube sensation is drawing back to her content creation roots.
"I definitely think I've learned how to insert more of my authentic self into the thread of this show and bring a little bit more of my flavors. So I think you'll see that it's a little looser, a little more imperfect," she said.
Hence the inclusion of sketch comedy, a new set, and off-the-cuff banter with crew members, which Singh said fills "the void" of the absent studio audience.
"I think it's a great evolution," she added.
Singh was "adamant" about trading her traditional late night studio (and the audience that comes with it) for a "fun house" in Los Angeles, complete with a swing in the living room.
"Season one I did the studio. I learned a lot. It was a great experience, but I do think that, considering my background and where I come from, a house just felt right to me," she explained, adding, "I thought this was really fresh and different."
Like many hosts, Singh has had to adjust to filming without a studio audience due to the pandemic. But for Singh, who rose to fame as a YouTube comedian telling jokes into a camera with no immediate reaction, the switch felt fairly seamless.
"To be honest, the adjustment for me was season one," she admitting, adding that she now feels "completely in my element."
The comedian, who also released a special titled "Sketchy Times" about the pandemic in 2020, said she plans to pull back the curtain on how a show is filmed, exposing viewers to testing procedures, the crew's PPE, and the set's COVID-19 guidelines.
"I really think there's all these nuances on sets that I did not know. In my opinion, I find it kind of beautiful," Singh said. "We, as humans, have adapted and we always figure out a way to move forward."
In the midst of filming season two, Singh partnered with Jane Walker by Johnnie Walker to promote their "First Women" campaign, which celebrates trailblazing women making history in their fields.
"We are seeing a lot of firsts by women and I think we'll continue to see a lot of firsts by women in 2021," the comedian, who is the first LGBTQ woman of color to host a late night show on a major network, told Insider.
She continued, "I recently became a first as well. And so I've had over a year to really understand what that feels like and what that entails and how important that is. This personally speaks to me because I really do believe that paving that path and encouraging more women to be first is really, really important."
Singh also highlighted the grant-funding component of the campaign, stating that it's an example of "putting your money where your mouth is."
"Supporting women is not just branding. It's not just a tweet or post. It is actually supporting women and allowing them opportunities and giving them the resources they need to win," she said.
Season two of "A Little Late" will premiere on NBC at 1:35 a.m. on January 11.