Ariana Grande Defends Changing Her Voice

The singer faced criticism for changing her voice from a lower octave back to a high-pitched tone.

By Brenda Alexander

Ariana Grande fans were caught off guard when a video circulated online of the "Almost Is Never Enough" singer talking in a lower tone before switching back to a higher pitch. But she's defending her code-switching. She recently appeared on the podcast Podcrushed show hosted by Penn Badgley where she opened up about the decision.

During the chat, the 31-year-old "Thank U Next" singer said switching pitches is "a normal thing people do, especially if you have a large range." she says she trained her voice to sing and speak at a higher range for the "dream role" she plays in the forthcoming musical film, Wicked, that she finds herself switching in and out often since filming wrapped. 

"I did just spend a long time playing a character every single day," Grande said. "[I trained] my voice to do different things for a long time before leaving for London and before any of this. The voice is in the body, it's an instrument and muscle memory is a real thing."

She says the backlash is a double standard, using the example of actors who use the method acting approach.  "I mean, you see male actors, sure people make jokes here and there as well about everybody who experiences something like this, but it's always after the fact that they're like, 'Oh wow, how dedicated to his craft! What an amazing transformation! He's a brilliant performer!' But then it's like, God forbid I sneeze like Glinda or something," Grande said. She added, "[Then] it's just that I am crazy [...] it's the weirdest thing."

The musical fantasy film is set to debut in theaters on November 22, 2024. Grande stars as Glinda the good witch. Cynthia Eriro stars opposite of the singer. The two have been performing alongside one another, recently performing the icing duet "When You Believe" by Whitney Houston and Mariah Carey.

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