Ariana Grande is gearing up for the release of her film ‘Wicked,’ based on the eponymous 1995 novel by Gregory Maguire. In the film adaptation featuring characters from Frank L Baum’s ‘The Wonderful Wizard of OZ,’ Grande essays the role of Glinda. Ahead of the release, the actor-singer received massive backlash on TikTok. She faced criticism for changing her voice in several instances for the film. Following the criticism, the ‘Side to Side’ hitmaker breaks her silence, addressing the backlash.

During her conversation with Vanity Fair, Ariana Grande opened up about the criticism she received over her voice modulation for the film. She said, “There is a part of the world that isn’t familiar with what it takes to transform your voice, whether it’s singing or taking on a different dialect for a role or doing a character voice for something.”

Moreover, the songstress addressed the sexist double standards over voice change. She emphasized the accolades a male star receives for changing his voice for a particular role’s requirement. She stated, “When it’s a male actor that does it, it’s acclaimed. There are definitely jokes that are made as well, but it’s always after being led with praise: ‘Oh, wow, he was so lost in the role.’ And that’s just a part of the job, really.” She added, “Tale as old as time being a woman in this industry. You are treated differently, and you are under a microscope in a way that some people aren’t.”

Happy Oztober! #WickedWednesday pic.twitter.com/zBPHIpShaH

— Wicked Movie (@wickedmovie) October 2, 2024

Previously, Grande slammed the trolls on TikTok. She wrote, “I intentionally change my vocal placement (high/low) often depending on how much singing I’m doing. “I’ve always done this BYE.” Moreover, she reportedly said, “It’s something that I’m just really proud of. Part of why I did want to engage [on TikTok] is because I am really proud of my hard work and of the fact that I did give 100% of myself, including my physicality, to this role. I am proud of that, so I wanted to protect it.”

The epic musical ‘Wicked’ is a two-part film helmed by John M Chu. Winnie Holzman and Dana Fox have penned the script. The upcoming film is the first of the two-part film adaptation. The film is based on the stage musical of the same name by Stephen Schwartz and Holzman. The play, in turn, was based on the 1995 novel of the same name by Gregory Maguire. It features characters from L. Frank Baum’s 1900 classic novel ‘The Wonderful Wizard of Oz.’

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‘Wicked’ features Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande. Additionally, it features  Michelle Yeoh, Jeff Goldblum, Jonathan Bailey, Ethan Slater, Marissa Bode, Bowen Yang, Bronwyn James, Keala Settle, and Peter Dinklage in supporting roles. The film releases on November 22.