Galinda the Good Witch will work her magic in the Broadway musical adaptation of Wicked played by Ariana Grande. Filming for the musical fantasy film may have wrapped up in January, but fans are starting to believe that the Protector of Oz hasn’t fully escaped the former child star. Fans have noticed new footage of Grande’s voice changing in the middle of an interview and as you can imagine, the comments are pouring in.
In an episode of Penn Bradley’s podcast Podcrushed, Ariana Grande shared her reactions to Wicked’s new trailer and her experiences of bringing Galinda/Glinda the Good Witch to life. When it came to talking about her new album Eternal Sunshine, fans noticed something strange about the “Positions” singer’s voice. Take a listen to this viral X post and see if you hear something different in Grande’s voice:
THE SWITCH IN THE VOICE PLEASE HELP ME😭😭😭 pic.twitter.com/hnaPNbmOEBJune 17, 2024
When Ariana Grande is first talking about how she felt like Austin Powers recording new music, her voice sounds deep. Then, we hear her speak in a higher-pitched voice when the best-selling artist expresses interest in making an Eternal Sunshine deluxe album. While I admit the voice switch is a bit subtle, it’s absolutely noticeable among fans who were quick to comment on their reactions below:
- she is honestly such a theatre kid it KILLS me LMAOOOO just forever method acting 😭😭 @versarchie
- we got old ariana back for a second and then she glindafied herself again @jhon
- oh glinda slipping away slowly but surely @madelyn☀️
- im pretty sure she speaks in a mixed voice rather than chest for interviews and long speaking stuff for vocal health!! lol shes silly but im like 80% sure this is a choice made with her voice in mind @ZOE AMIRA SLICK✨
Based on these comments, X users seem to believe that the voice of her Oz resident character Galinda hasn’t escaped her months after filming Wicked was over. This wouldn’t be unheard of as fans were concerned when Austin Butler kept his Elvis voice for years. It’s normal that when you train your voice to sound a particular way for so long, it’s not so easy to revert to your original voice. Plus, the four-octave range singer mentioned she made her choice to transform into Glinda/Galinda by stripping away her pop-star persona and fully embodying the Good Witch we know and love.
On the other hand, it could be like what @ZOE AMIRA SLICK✨ said where Ariana Grande could be training her voice during interviews. She did have to exercise her vocal chops by singing several of Wicked’s memorable tracks for the movie. Not to mention, she sang this past year as a musical guest on season 49 of SNL, the Met Gala in May, and The Tonight Show Featuring Jimmy Fallon in June. So it makes sense that she picks her moments to relax her voice to ensure protection during interviews.
Fans couldn’t stop commenting about Ariana Grande’s viral voice switching in the middle of an interview. Without knowing for sure, the Victorious actress could either be changing pitches on purpose to train her voice during interviews or her Galinda/Glinda character voice hasn’t totally escaped her. Whatever the reason is, the singer/actress will no doubt show audiences her complete transformation by seeing her don the magic wand in Wicked.
Make sure to watch part one of the 2024 movie release in theaters on November 27th.