Ariana Grande calls out backlash over ‘Wicked’ voice, says ‘When it’s a male actor, it’s acclaimed’

Washington [US], September 30 (ANI): Pop icon Ariana Grande, who has given several hits and amazed her fans hits back at the critics of her 'Wicked' voice, reported Variety.
The Grammy winner stars in 'Wicked' as Glinda and spent nearly two years filming the project.
"There is a part of the world that isn't familiar with what it takes to transform your voice, whether it's singing or taking on a different dialect for a role or doing a character voice for something," Grande said in response to the internet often trolling her airier Glinda speaking voice.
"When it's a male actor that does it, it's acclaimed," she added. "There are definitely jokes that are made as well, but it's always after being led with praise: 'Oh, wow, he was so lost in the role.' And that's just a part of the job, really. Tale as old as time being a woman in this industry. You are treated differently, and you are under a microscope in a way that some people aren't."
Earlier, she responded on TikTok at the time to confront the mockery by writing, "I intentionally change my vocal placement (high/low) often depending on how much singing i'm doing," she wrote. "I've always done this BYE."
"It's something that I'm just really proud of," said Grande about her voice, adding, "Part of why I did want to engage [on TikTok] is because I am really proud of my hard work and of the fact that I did give 100% of myself, including my physicality, to this role. I am proud of that, so I wanted to protect it," reported Variety.
'The makers have announced the new release date of 'Wicked: Part Two', which is an upcoming musical fantasy film directed by Jon M Chu and written by Winnie Holzman and Dana Fox.
'Wicked: Part Two' is set for release by Universal Pictures on November 21, 2025, instead of November 26, 2025.
The sequel to 'Wicked' is the second of a two-part film adaptation of the stage musical of the same name by Stephen Schwartz and Holzman, which in turn was based on the 1995 novel of the same name by Gregory Maguire and characters from L. Frank Baum's 1900 novel The Wonderful Wizard of Oz. It features Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande, with Michelle Yeoh, Jeff Goldblum, Jonathan Bailey, Ethan Slater, Marissa Bode, Bowen Yang, Bronwyn James, Keala Settle, and Peter Dinklage in supporting roles. (ANI)