It's truly impossible to pick a favorite scene from Wicked, but—aside from every time Jonathan Bailey furrows his brow—Ariana Grande's rendition of "Popular" has to be up there. And apparently it was almost completely different. Wicked composer Stephen Schwartz says he pitched Ariana Grande a new version of "Popular," and she fully shut it down.

In November 2024, a series of TikTok posts alleged that singer and actress Ariana Grande was diagnosed with cancer (with some posts suggesting it was specifically lung cancer) while filming the movie adaptation of the Broadway musical "Wicked.

In a new Los Angeles Times oral history, Wicked composer and lyricist Stephen Schwartz explains:

Ariana Grande, who stars as Glinda in Jon M. Chu’s “Wicked,” reportedly didn’t want to perform a new version of “Popular” in the musical film. Stephen Schwartz — the composer and lyricist of the original Broadway musical as well as the movie of the same name — recently told the Los Angeles Times that he and his music team considered refreshing the “rhythm” of the number in the spirit of “being open to new things” for the film.

It’s also probably the worst pop song that’s ever touched my ears – but who cares! It’s for the plot. For the lore. Here’s the story of how Ariana Grande foreshadowed her Glinda role in Wicked with Popular Song all the way back in 2012. ariana grande sampling ‘popular’ from ‘wicked’ for her song popular song, 2013 pic.twitter.com/2J5DVmvOdC

Wicked composer Stephen Schwartz has revealed that Ariana Grande refused to make a suggested change to a classic song.

Cynthia Erivo opens up about her bond with co-star Ariana Grande while filming "Wicked," sharing how their early friendship and promise to support each other shaped their on-screen chemistry as Elphaba and Glinda.

Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo's version of "Defying Gravity" from Wicked finally becomes a smash, as it debuts at No. 7 on the U.K. singles chart.