Ariana Grande arrives in Australia ahead of the premiere of her highly anticipated musical adaptation of Wicked.
The We Can't Be Friends hitmaker, 31, jedged Sydney with her fellow Wicked co-stars Cynthia Erivo, Jonathan Bailey and Jeff Goldblum, Marissa Bode, Ethan Slater and director John M. Soo to the premiere.
Trip Down Under will be the first stop on their global tour for the upcoming release, which will premiere at Sydney's State Theater on November 3 before hitting theaters on November 22.
'Hi Australia! We have something exciting to share,' Erivo began in a social media video.
'We're going to Australia to launch our new movie Wicked!' Grande added before Goldblum and Sue appeared.
'Hey Sydney! We are excited that Australia will be the first stop on our global tour. We can't wait for you to experience the magic of Wicked on the big screen,' said Sue.
'We have some more surprise guests who will be joining us downstairs, so be on the lookout.'
Ariana Grande arrives in Australia ahead of the premiere of her highly anticipated musical adaptation of Wicked.
The sensational announcement comes after Grande finally addressed the persistent criticism of her 'changing voice' that she wouldn't have received such backlash had she been a man.
Earlier this year, the singer shocked fans by speaking in two different voices when she appeared on Penn Badgley's podcast, Podcrushed, in June to explore her childhood and experiences working for Nickelodeon.
One clip in particular sparked a social media frenzy that showed Grande dipping into a lower, huskier voice in an unguarded moment, suddenly raising her voice significantly.
Grande, 31, joined her co-stars Cynthia Erivo, Jonathan Bailey and Jeff Goldblum, Marissa Bode, Ethan Slater and director John M. Goes to Sydney for the premiere with Sue.
Trip Down Under will be the first stop on their worldwide tour for the upcoming release, which opens in theaters on November 22 at Sydney's State Theater on November 3. Image: Evil director John M. Sue, Cynthia Erivo, Ariana Grande and Jeff Goldblum
In an interview with Vanity Fair, Grande said: 'There's a part of the world that doesn't know what it takes to change your voice, whether it's singing or taking on a different dialect for a role or doing a role. Some kind of character voice.
'When a male actor does it, it's appreciated. Of course jokes are made, but it's always led with praise: “Oh, wow, he's so lost in the role,” that's part of the job, really,” Grande said.
“It's been a long time since I was a woman in this industry,” she added. 'You're treated differently, you're under the microscope in a way that some people aren't.'
At the time, Grande responded to the criticism and noted that part of the problem was that she was used to speaking in her high-pitched voice for Wicked, in which she played Glinda.
'Habit (talking like this for two years) and vocal health,' he explained in his TikTok comment.
'I purposely change my vocal pitch (high/low) often depending on how much I sing,' she continued, adding a teary-eyed emoji.
'I've always been doing this BYE,' she said, ending the speculation abruptly.
Although Grande didn't mention it specifically, many fans speculated that she switched to her higher-pitched voice to avoid using vocal folds – the slightly husky vocal tone that occurs when people speak in low, relaxed tones – which many believe could damage the vocal folds. A person's vocal chords or singing voice.
John M. In the two-part film adaptation of Sue's 2003 Broadway hit musical, the two stars appeared as unlikely friends – with Grande as Glinda the Good Witch and Erivo Elbaba as Trapp, the Wicked Witch of the West.
Elbaba is a young woman misunderstood because of her unusual green skin, Glinda is a popular young woman, blonde with privilege and ambition, who has yet to discover her true heart.
Following the release of part one this November, the second film is slated for release in Australia on November 21, 2025.
Following the release of the first part this November, the second film is scheduled to release in Australia on November 21, 2025.
