Ariana Grande Would ‘Absolutely Not’ Sing New Version Of This ‘Wicked’ Song, Composer Says

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.

“Let’s, maybe, I don’t know, hip-hop it up a little bit,” Schwartz recalled.

But the idea didn’t get far with Grande, whose character sings the iconic song in the film.

“’Absolutely not, don’t do it. I want to be Glinda, not Ariana Grande playing Glinda,’” said Schwartz of Grande’s response to the idea.

The “Wicked” star has dreamed of the role for years and met Kristin Chenoweth, who originally starred as Glinda on Broadway, when she was a child.

Chenoweth, in a 2019 appearance on “Watch What Happens Live!” with Andy Cohen, said the future star sang her a little bit of “Popular” at the show.

“I thought, ‘Well, you’re pretty good,’” Chenoweth said of Grande. “And we’ve still stayed close and obviously, I think she’s one of the best singers on the planet.”

Grande — who starred as Dorothy in a production of “The Wizard of Oz” as a child — has incorporated the “Wicked” hit into her music career, singing over a sample of the track on Mika’s “Popular Song” in 2012.

Schwartz, in his interview with the Times, said he ultimately made a tweak to “Popular” in the film after he had an idea for a new vocal ending.

“Ariana was a little hesitant about it, but I told her that if I had thought of it for the original show, this is how it would have been,” he shared.

“Once she was reassured that this new bit of music was coming out of character, she was on board.”

“Wicked” earned roughly $112.5 million and $162.5 million at the domestic and global box office in its opening weekend, making it the biggest opening ever for a film based on a Broadway production, according to Deadline.