Ariana Grande shared that working on Wicked reignited her passion for music and helped her feel truly reconnected to her craft.
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Published by Cel Manero from Global One Media Inc.
“I really missed making music,” Grande admitted during her interview on the Shut Up Evan podcast.
Starring in Wicked left a lasting mark on Ariana Grande — and reignited her drive to make music.
“I felt a genuine spark — a sense of reconnection and inspiration. Maybe I just missed it,” said Grande, 32, during her conversation with Evan Ross Katz on the Shut Up Evan podcast, released Friday, Oct. 24.
“Maybe it’s that simple,” she added. “Sometimes you have to miss something to grow and get better. I learned so much, and I truly wanted to do it. It felt like an inspired moment — I had to write an album.”
Grande also shared that the Wicked production team informed her about reshoots scheduled for January, but she refused to let the film’s demands dim her musical momentum.
“I told them, ‘That’s fine — I’ll finish it before or after,’” she recalled of managing her busy filming and recording timeline.
Her album Eternal Sunshine, which features collaborations with renowned producers like Max Martin and Ilya, went on to earn a nomination for Best Pop Vocal Album at the 2025 Grammy Awards.
Grande portrays Galinda “Glinda” Upland in the film adaptation of Wicked. During the interview, she reflected on pausing production amid the 2023 WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes. Host Evan Ross Katz asked whether returning to set after the long break required her to “find” the character again.
“No, it was there — there was nothing to find,” Grande replied. “It was strange; I wondered if it might feel weird. But the moment I got back, it just clicked. She was right there. It was wonderful — thank God.”
