Ariana Grande firmly rejected a suggestion to add a hip-hop twist to the iconic song "Popular" in the *Wicked* movie adaptation. Composer Stephen Schwartz shared in an interview with *The Los Angeles Times* that his music team considered modernizing the rhythm, but Ariana, who plays Glinda, was against the idea. She told them, "Absolutely not, don't do it. I want to be Glinda, not Ariana Grande playing Glinda."  However, Ariana was open to an update to the song's vocal ending. Schwartz reassured her that the change would come from the character and not from her as an artist. Ariana had previously recorded a dance-pop cover of "Popular" with Mika for her 2013 album *Yours Truly*. *Wicked*, which also stars Cynthia Erivo as Elphaba, is currently in cinemas, with its sequel scheduled for release in November 2025.