Wicked
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Fans just got their longest tastes yet of two highly anticipated Wicked performances from stars Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo, with the film sharing extended looks at the former’s “Popular” and the latter’s “The Wizard & I” Wednesday (Nov. 13).
Accompanied by a visual lyric display, the “Popular” video finds the pop star as Glinda, frenziedly dressing up the Pinocchio actress’ perplexed Elphaba in pink accessories. “Don’t be offended by my frank analysis/ Think of it as personality dialysis,” she sings on the signature track, originally performed by Kristin Chenoweth on Broadway. “Now that I’ve chosen to become a pal/ A sister and adviser, there’s nobody wiser/ Not when it comes to popular.”
In the “Wizard & I” video, Erivo roams the campus of Shiz University and explores the Ozian outdoors while belting out the hopeful ballad, adding her own custom riffs. (Sorry, Wicked superfans, it looks like you’ll have to wait for the full movie to hear her take on the track’s famous final high note.)
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“When I meet the Wizard/ Once I prove my worth/ And then I meet the Wizard/ What I’ve waited for since, since birth,” she sings, making the Idina Menzel-originated song her own. “He’ll say to me I see who you truly are/ A girl on whom I can rely/ And that’s how we’ll begin/ The Wizard and I.”
The new videos come just nine days ahead of the premiere of Wicked Part 1, which hits theaters Nov. 22. Part 2 will arrive one year later. Leading up to the movie’s theatrical release worldwide, the two stars — and the rest of the Wicked cast — have been traveling to various premieres, most recently greeting fans on the red carpet in Mexico City Monday (Nov. 11).
As sampled in the newly released performance videos, both Grande and Erivo sang live vocals on the set of Wicked. “When we were shooting it, those girls were like, ‘F–k the pre-records,” Chu recalled in a March Vanity Fair interview. “We’re going live.’”
Watch Grande sing “Popular” above, and see Erivo perform “The Wizard and I” below.
Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo might be powerful witches now, but years ago, they were simply munchkins with big dreams. And in a new Xfinity commercial that premiered Tuesday (Nov. 12), fans are reminded of the long yellow brick road both women took to make their dreams come true through being cast in Wicked, which […]
At the Los Angeles premiere of Wicked, Harry Daniels made the gutsy decision to serenade Ariana Grande with her debut single “Put Your Hearts Up” — a song she isn’t exactly fond of.
But luckily, it paid off. In a video posted to the influencer’s TikTok over the weekend, the pop star spotted Daniels in the crowd as she was greeting Wicked fans and immediately recognized him, cheering, “Oh my god it’s Harry Daniels!”
After feigning running away from his inevitable performance — the social media star has built a platform off forcing celebrities to watch him sing — Grande listened intently as he sang a few bars from the 2011 bubblegum single. “Oh my god, I’ve been waiting for this moment for all my life,” the Grammy winner said sweetly after it was over, hugging Daniels. “It’s so nice to see you, thank you for being here.”
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“THIS IS MY GLINDA YALL IDCCCC,” Daniels, who also shared a photo with Grande on Instagram, captioned the clip.
Of all the songs in Grande’s multiplatinum discography, “Put Your Hearts Up” is on the record as one of the singer’s least favorites. In a 2014 interview with Rolling Stone, she called it “geared toward kids” and “so inauthentic and fake,” adding, “That was the worst moment of my life. For the video, they gave me a bad spray tan and put me in a princess dress and had me frolic around the street. The whole thing was straight out of hell. I still have nightmares about it, and I made them hide it on my Vevo page.”
Since then, Grande has released seven studio albums, six of which have topped the Billboard 200, most recently 2024’s Eternal Sunshine. However, the vocalist has revealed that she now plans on focusing more on acting and musical theater after falling back in love with both while working on the Wicked films, a far cry from her mindset at the time of that same 2014 Rolling Stone interview (“I hate acting,” a then 20-year-old Grande said. “It’s fun, but music has always been first and foremost with me.”)
“I’m always going to make music, I’m always going to go on stage, I’m always going to do pop stuff, I pinky promise,” she said on the Nov. 6 episode of Las Culturistas. “But I don’t think doing it at the rate I’ve been doing it for the past 10 years is where I see the next 10 years … Whatever makes sense, or whatever roles we see fit, or where I could really do a good job or honor the material, I would really love to. I think it’s a lot better for me.”
The first Wicked film hits theaters Nov. 22. Watch Daniels serenade Grande below.
Cynthia Erivo has said that she was definitely changed for the better after working with Ariana Grande on Wicked, and in a new interview, the Tony winner hinted that she wouldn’t have necessarily felt the same if anyone else had gotten the pop star’s role in the films.
When the two costars — who play Elphaba and Glinda in Jon M. Chu’s upcoming film adaptations of the Broadway musical, which was based on Gregory Maguire’s novel of the same name — were asked by The New York Times to share their initial reactions to each other’s casting in the project, Erivo was frank.
“Absolutely no surprise whatsoever,” the Harriet star recalled of learning Grande had nabbed the part of Glinda in the joint interview published Wednesday (Nov. 6). “Thank goodness, because it was not the two ladies that I was auditioning with.”
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In reaction to Erivo’s subtle shade, the “We Can’t Be Friends” musician replied, “Oh my God!”
Grande also shared her reaction to the “I Might Be in Love With You” artist landing Elphaba in the films, the first of which arrives Nov. 22. “I said, ‘Thank God,’” she revealed.
News that Erivo and the two-time Grammy winner had been cast in Wicked arrived in November 2021. At the time, the duo sent each other congratulatory flowers, with the Pinocchio star writing in a note to Grande, “Congratulations Miss A, The Part Was Made For You, I Look Forward To Sharing This Musical Journey With You.”
The leading ladies went on to work on the duology for two years in London alongside cast members Michelle Yeoh, Jonathan Bailey, Jeff Goldblum, Ethan Slater, Bowen Yang and Marissa Bode. A year after Wicked part one arrives at the end of the month, the second installment will hit theaters in November 2025.
Grande has previously been open about the intensive audition process for Wicked, for which she recently said she had to “erase” her public persona in a recent interview on the Sentimental Men podcast. “People sometimes say to me, ‘You had to audition?’ Of course, are you out of your gourd?” she continued on the Nov. 1 episode. “It’s Wicked! And it requires a totally different skill set than people know me for and have ever seen me do anything like.”
While speaking to NYT, Grande echoed those remarks. “Some members of my team at the time were like, ‘You shouldn’t even have to audition,’ and I was like, ‘You don’t understand, of course I have to. This is something that has to be earned,’” she told the paper. “I have so much to prove, and I threw myself at it in every way that I could.”
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Ariana Grande and Swarovski are ringing in the holiday season with a dose of glitz, and a dash of glam.
On Monday (Nov. 4), Swarovski shared new photos of the Wicked star in the dazzling, holiday campaign released last week. “Lighting up the party with pure joy and festive spirit, @ArianaGrande serves an unforgettable holiday look in Swarovski Matrix jewelry,” reads the Instagram caption.
“The Party of Dream” takes viewers inside a mesmerizing, modern but retro holiday bash channeling Great Gastby-era shine with big-band style music, flowing champagne and Swarosvski crystals. Grande hits the dance floor in a sparkling Swarovski Couture dress and long black gloves accessorized with bracelets, earrings and a choker from Swarovski’s Millenia collection.
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The glittery ad was helmed by Christian Breslauer, a music video director, producer and cinematographer who has worked with other recording artists such as Doja Cat, Lizzo, SZA and Lil Nas X.
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Giovanna Engelbert is creative director of the campaign shot by fashion photographers Mert Alas and Mac Piggot. Swarovski’s holiday collection includes new releases such as the Matrix bracelet ($300), cocktail ring ($129), cuff ($400), open necklace ($700) and tennis bracelet ($280).
Grande was named Swarovski brand ambassador earlier this year. “I am thrilled to be Swarovski’s Brand Ambassador. It’s an honor to represent a House that shares my passion for creativity, pushes the boundaries beyond the world of jewelry, and promotes values of unapologetic self-expression,” Grande said in a statement. “I cannot wait to embark on this journey and to inspire others to embrace their own unique sparkle.”
“Ariana’s charisma and positive energy resonate with Swarovski’s essence of bringing joy to the world, and I am thrilled that she is joining us as Brand Ambassador,” noted Giovanna Engelbert, Swarovski’s Global Creative Director. “Ariana is a brilliant artist whose creativity shines through her songwriting and vocal performances as well as her personal style. I look forward to engaging in inspiring creative dialogues together.”
The pop star wore a choker, necklace bracelet and earrings from Swarovski’s Millenia collection to the 2024 Wall Street Journal Innovator Awards at New York City’s Museum of Modern Art on Oct. 29.
Grande has been out and about promoting Wicked, and with less than a month before the musical movie hits theaters, her schedule is about to get even busier. Over the weekend, Grande jetted to Australia over the weekend to premiere Wicked down under. The heavily anticipated musical starring Grande and Cynthia Erivo hits theaters on Nov. 22.
Watch Grande light up the dance floor in Swarovski’s “The Party of Dreams” ad below.
Ariana Grande is paying homage to her younger self. In an interview with Australia’s Hit 104.7 Canberra, the “We Can’t Be Friends” singer was asked why she chose to use her “grown-up name,” a.k.a. her birth name Ariana Grande-Butera, in the credits of Wicked. “Technically, it’s my little girl name! It’s technically little Ari’s name,” […]
Ariana Grande followed the yellow brick carpet, instead of the red carpet, on the way to the Nov. 3 premiere of Wicked in Sydney, Australia. Celebrating her role of Glinda, the pop star and actress aptly dressed in a pink gown that looks straight out of Oz — though it’s actually custom Vivienne Westwood. With […]
Ethan Slater has largely kept his romance with Ariana Grande private, but he took a moment to carefully gush over the “Yes, And?” superstar in his recent cover story with GQ. At one point in the interview, Slater responded to rumors that Grande’s Eternal Sunshine track, “Imperfect for You” is about him. “Messy, completely distressed/ […]
All products and services featured are independently chosen by editors. However, Billboard may receive a commission on orders placed through its retail links, and the retailer may receive certain auditable data for accounting purposes. Countdown to Wicked! Ariana Grande will make her debut as Glinda the Good Witch alongside Oscar winner Cynthia Erivo as Elphaba, […]
Ariana Grande is weighing in on the Wicked memes after Cynthia Erivo called certain AI-generated videos and fan-made edits “offensive” and “deeply hurtful.”
While speaking to Variety on the Academy Museum Gala red carpet Saturday (Oct. 19), the pop star said that she thinks the situation is “very complicated.” “I find AI so conflicting and troublesome sometimes, but I think it’s just kind of such a massive adjustment period,” she continued. “This is something that is so much bigger than us, and the fans are gonna have fun and make their edits.”
“I think so,” Grande responded when asked whether fans sometimes go “too far” with their edits. “And I have so much respect for my sister, Cynthia, and I love her so much. It’s just a big adjustment period. It’s so much stimulation about something that’s so much bigger than us.”
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The R.E.M. Beauty founder’s comments come three days after Erivo made headlines for slamming one fan’s Wicked edit, for which they’d photoshopped the upcoming film’s poster to look more like the original poster for the Wicked Broadway musical. “This is the wildest, most offensive thing I have seen,” the Pinocchio star wrote at the time. “Our poster is an homage not an imitation, to edit my face and hide my eyes is to erase me.”
Erivo went on to say that the altered poster was “equal to that awful Ai of us fighting” — referring to a viral AI-generated video that animated a fight between the Emmy winner and “Yes, And?” singer using their likenesses on the same movie poster — and “equal to” a long-running, vulgar joke in the Wicked community.
“None of this is funny,” she’d added. “None of it is cute. It degrades me. It degrades us.”
The premiere of the first of two Wicked films is set for Nov. 22, featuring Erivo as Elphaba and Grande as Glinda. Directed by Jon M. Chu, the duology will also star Michelle Yeoh, Jonathan Bailey, Jeff Goldblum, Ethan Slater and Bowen Yang.
The project’s soundtrack — which also arrives Nov. 22 — will showcase the live vocals Erivo and Grande performed on set. While speaking to Variety, the “We Can’t Be Friends” artist confirmed that she’d “absolutely” love to work with her fellow-leading lady on more music beyond the films, saying, “I think we are stuck with each other, professionally and personally for the rest of our lives.”
Watch Grande share her thoughts on the Wicked meme situation below.
Ariana Grande on artificial intelligence and the #Wicked poster that Cynthia Erivo criticized: “It’s very complicated, because I find AI so conflicting and troublesome sometimes, but I think it’s such a massive adjustment period…I have so much respect for my sister Cynthia, and… pic.twitter.com/J2YnHxfQ9w— Variety (@Variety) October 20, 2024