Pop star Ariana Grande, who plays Glinda in Wicked, reportedly put the kibosh on composer Stephen Schwartz’s plan to make the movie’s marquee tune “Popular” more hip-hop. “In the spirit of being open to new things for the movie, my music team and I thought, let’s refresh the rhythm. Let‘s, maybe, I don’t know, hip-hop it up a little bit,” Schwartz explained. Yet Grande said “Absolutely not, don’t do it,” reportedly telling Schwartz, “I want to be Glinda, not Ariana Grande playing Glinda.” She wanted to fully immerse herself into Glinda, and when it came to the vocalization of the songs, Schwartz said she needed some convincing to switch things up. “I had this idea for a new vocal ending,” explained Schwartz, “Ariana was a little hesitant about it, but I told her that if I had thought of it for the original show, this is how it would have been.” And with a little reassurance, Grande was on board to put her own vocal spin on the music. When Grande was cast in the role of Glinda, she reportedly told director Jon M. Chu, “I love her so much,” adding, “I’m gonna take such good care of her.”
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