Thank you, next! Ariana Grande waved away the haters with a flawless rendition of “Somewhere Over the Rainbow” after she was accused of no longer being a singer.
“Wanted to sing you a little something but don’t want to sing anything that is not ‘Ozian’ at the moment :),” the “Imagine” artist, 29 — who portrays Galinda/Glinda in the upcoming two-part Wicked movie — captioned her TikTok video on Friday, January 20. “Keeping to my little bubble for now … done with lots of love.”
In the clip, Grande mocked some of the recent comments she’s received, writing, “wHy ArEn’T yOu A sInGeR AnyMoRee?!?!?” over the video, which depicted her wrapped up in a pastel pink knitted blanket while on the set of Wicked. The upcoming two-part movie is based on Gregory Maguire’s Wizard of Oz prequel book (and Broadway musical).
“*Is literally on set filming two musical movies everyday*,” she added by way of explanation, noting that she’s “hiding Galinda’s hair” under the blanket.
The two-time Grammy winner, who got her start on Broadway before breaking into television on Nickelodeon’s Victorious in 2010, belted out the entirety of the Wizard of Oz hit in the TikTok clip, showcasing her powerful vocals and mature artistry.
Grande’s Wicked costar Cynthia Erivo, who portrays Elphaba/The Wicked Witch of the West in the upcoming film, further defended the “Breathin’” singer by reposting theTikTok to her Instagram Story.
@arianagrande wanted to sing you a little something but don’t want to sing anything that is not “Ozian” at the moment 🙂 keeping to my little bubble for now … done with lots of love.
“She is and always will be a singer, she just happens to be able to do more than that!!!” the Tony Award winner, 36, wrote on Friday. “Now … as you were … we’re working!!!”
Per IMDb, Wicked is set for release in 2024, while Wicked: Part Two is slated to premiere in 2025.
The “God Is a Woman” songstress previously addressed fans’ concerns about her singing career in a May 2022 YouTube video shared on her R.E.M. Beauty channel.
Calling the role of Galinda/Glinda “the most incredible gift of my entire life,” Grande told fans that the “truth” was she hadn’t “begun” working on a follow-up album to 2020’s Positions.
“I hear through the grapevine that you have a lot of theories and expectations in that department but, after Positions, [I] was not ready to start another album yet. So I have not begun another album,” she said, explaining that she “went into full preparation mode” in order to land her dream part. “I know the material like the back of my hand, but I still have so much to learn. I went pretty hard getting ready.”
Now, Grande concluded, “Every piece of me, every minute, every ounce of my heart, my time, my everything that I can give it … I am spending all my time with Glinda.”
