Wicked is on its way to becoming a major hit, if early box office numbers are any indication. Given the Broadway origins of Wicked, there’s strong source material at play here, but that doesn’t mean the folks behind the movie were against considering significant changes. Among the ideas was a more hip-hop-leaning version of “Popular,” which Ariana Grande was firmly against.
In a new Los Angeles Times oral history, Wicked composer and lyricist Stephen Schwartz explains:
“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. Ariana said, ‘Absolutely not, don’t do it. I want to be Glinda, not Ariana Grande playing Glinda.'”
Grande wasn’t closed-minded about any sort of change, though, as Schwartz also said, “I had this idea for a new vocal ending. 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. Once she was reassured that this new bit of music was coming out of character, she was on board.”
Read the full feature here.
