Wicked” composer and lyricist Stephen Schwartz revealed in an interview with the Los Angeles Times that he pitched Ariana Grande on a different version of “Popular” for the film adaptation that she instantly turned down.

Ariana Grande, pop singer-turned-actress playing “Glinda” in Wicked, explored her character’s sexuality while doing an interview promoting the new film. Grande and her co-star Cynthia Erivo, who plays Elphaba,

It’s also probably the worst pop song that’s ever touched my ears – but who cares! It’s for the plot. For the lore. Here’s the story of how Ariana Grande foreshadowed her Glinda role in Wicked with Popular Song all the way back in 2012. ariana grande sampling ‘popular’ from ‘wicked’ for her song popular song, 2013 pic.twitter.com/2J5DVmvOdC