Ariana Grande-Butera explains how herWickedaudition caused her to make an unusual request onThe Voice. Ever sinceWickedwas released, Grande-Butera has received praise for her acting and vocal performance. The Hollywood Foreign Press Association recognized her work by nominating her for a Golden Globe for her supporting role in the film. In addition to herWickedrole, Grande-Butera is a pop star who has also served as a vocal coach on the reality TV competition showThe Voiceon NBC.
Speaking withVariety, Grande-Butera reveals how her audition process forWickednecessitated some changes on a filming day ofThe Voice. Grande-Butera explains that she kept her team on “high alert” when she found out auditions were starting soon forWicked, working closely “with a vocal coach and an acting coach.” When she finally found out that she would get to audition forWicked, it was amidst her filming forThe Voice. OnThe Voiceset,she ended up requesting that they “cut the air conditioning” so as not to affect her operatic voice. Check out her full quote below:
I was hunting Marc Platt down for an audition. As soon as I found out that it might be happening, I told my team, “Be on high alert, please. And I know this has to be earned. So when they start seeing people, can I please go in? I’ll do anything.” And I worked really hard with a vocal coach and an acting coach to get ready, because Glinda’s vocal track is very different than what I usually sing.
It’s very operatic and very classical sort of coloratura, which is different from doing a falsetto and whistle tones. It’s a totally different placement in the voice. I wanted to sound authentic in singing opera, and I started two months before my first audition.
I mean, it was really insane. It was a three-and-a-half-month period of time.
I was filming “The Voice,” so I was going from my vocal coach to my acting coach to doing the live shows. I was so nervous about my voice being in good shape because my audition was the next day. And I was on set doing “The Voice,” and I asked them to cut the air conditioning. They keep it really cold to keep the live audience awake. I had to sing opera the next day. I had to sing “No One Mourns the Wicked,” and people started to notice. I was like, “It’s my fault.”
What This Means For Wicked
Grande-Butera Was Dedicated To Her Part
Grande-Butera’s request forThe Voiceshows just how hard she worked for her role inWicked. This was not just a passing interest for the actor, but adream role that saw her “hunting down Marc Platt for an audition.“This passion clearly led to some extreme requests of those working around her, including asking people to alter set conditions for another project to better prepare her forWicked. That said, it is her dedication that likely aided the actor in getting the part.
Wicked Ending Explained & How It Sets Up Wicked Part 2
Wicked: Part 1 builds up Elphaba and Glinda’s friendship, leading to a tense ending in The Emerald City that sets the foundation for Wicked: Part 2.
In addition to conveying her passion, Grande-Butera’s recent quote well outlines the differences between Glinda’s voice part and other vocal styles. Grande-Butera explains that theGlinda rolefalls into a “very classical sort of coloratura” that is closer to opera and much different from the “whistle tones” that the singer is known for. The fact that this part is “a totally different placement in the voice” indicates why Grande-Butera’s voice sounds so different in the Glinda role compared to what fans are used to.
Our Take On Grande-Butera’s Wicked Audition Experience
Some People Were Surprised By How Different Grande-Butera’s Voice Sounded
A lot of people doubted that Grande-Butera’s performance would be great prior to the release ofWicked, and her quote helps to explain why. Unaware of the level of training the singer underwent before even auditioning, it could seem that the “Ain’t No Tears Left To Cry” singer was a vocal mismatch with the Glinda role on a stylistic level. What resulted from her training, however, was a vocal performance that was far closer to a Broadway and opera sound and starkly different from the typical Grande-Butera fare.
Wicked
Cast
Wicked adapts the Broadway musical into a two-part film, following the unlikely friendship between Elphaba, born with green skin, and Glinda, a popular aristocrat, in the Land of Oz. As they navigate their contrasting paths, they evolve into Glinda the Good and the Wicked Witch of the West.
