’s Ariana Grande turned down an offer to add more hip-hop to “Popular.” Wicked, which stars Grande as Galinda Upland/Glinda the Good, is now playing in United States theaters.
Based on the popular Broadway play of the same name, the film is the first chapter in a two-part adaptation. Wicked: Part Two will be released in theaters next November.
Stephen Schwartz created the music and lyrics for the original Wicked Broadway show. He then served as a composer, lyricist, and executive producer on the Jon M.
Chu-directed film. Speaking with the Los Angeles Times, Schwartz revealed that he initially thought about changing one of the show’s most noteworthy songs, “Popular,” for the film; however, Grande told him not to do it. “In the spirit of being open to new things for the movie, my music team and I thought, let’s refresh the rhythm,” Schwartz recalled. “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.’” Cinematographer Alice Brooks also noted, “‘Popular’ is the first song we shot.