Ariana Grande Reacts To Being Criticized Because of Her Recent Voice Change

Ariana Grande addressed the criticisms she received after seemingly changing her voice after playing Glinda in the upcoming Wicked films.

Speaking to Evan Ross Katz on the Shut Up Evan podcast, Grande talked about the criticisms she had received about her vocal change and the unfair standards between men and women who had undergone similar changes.

"I did just spend a long time playing a character every single day," Grande noted. "[I trained] my voice to do different things for a long time before leaving for London and before any of this; muscle memory is a real thing."

According to Grande, commentary between men and women varies when they embark on transformative roles, such as Glinda the Good in the upcoming Wicked films.

"I mean you see male actors, sure people make jokes here and there as well, but it's always after the fact 'Oh wow, how dedicated to his craft! What an amazing transformation! He's a brilliant performer!,'" Grande pointed out. "But then it's like, god forbid I sneeze like Glinda or something, [then] it's just that I am crazy . . . it's the weirdest thing."

The "Supernatural" singer started receiving criticisms when she appeared on Penn Badgley's podcast, Podcrushed. In a now-viral clip, Grande switched from a low tone to a high-pitched one when talking about her music.

When a fan called out her voice change, Grande responded, defending herself.

"i intentionally change my vocal placement (high / low) often depending on how much singing i'm doing... i've always done this BYE," Grande confirmed.

In the past, Grande's singing voice has been relatively different from her deeper speaking voice. As Grande played Glinda, who speaks in high pitch, for two years while filming Wicked in the United Kingdom, she seemed to develop and get used to speaking within the same range.

Kristin Chenoweth, who originated the role of Glinda on Broadway, was one of Grande's childhood idols. Unbeknownst to many, Grande saw the original production of Wicked on Broadway when Chenoweth and Idina Menzel were still playing Glinda and Elphaba. Since then, Chenoweth and Grande developed a dear friendship.

Speaking to Us Weekly, Chenoweth shared her three-word advice to Grande after she approached her after being cast in the movie.

"[I told her], 'Do you. Do your Glinda. I did mine. Now it's your turn,'" Chenoweth told the outlet. "And I hope that gave her the freedom."

Tags

Ariana Grande, Wicked