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Ariana Grande Says Scrapped Hip-Hop Version of ‘Popular’ Made No Sense as Glinda Is Too ‘Vanilla’

Ariana Grande explained that Glinda is too "vanilla" for the scrapped hip-hop spin on "Popular," which the star pushed back on while filming 'Wicked.'

Ariana Grande is explaining what really happened with that scrapped hip-hop version of “Popular,” which composer Stephen Schwartz had intended to put in Jon M. Chu’s Wicked films before the pop star pushed back on the idea. In a cover story interview with Variety published Thursday (Jan. 2), Grande recalled first hearing the original rehearsal track for Glinda’s standout number at the very beginning of production in London — and she wasn’t totally thrilled with the instrumentation. 2 Billboard 200-charting soundtrack, discovered that the bubbly anthem was extended with an alternate ending — featuring three key changes and an atmospheric opera note hit by Grande for the big finish.

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