Ariana Felt She Was "Under A Microscope" With Voice Change Criticism

Ariana Grande isn’t just switching positions, she’s also been switching vocal registers. Ever since she was cast as the upbeat witch Glinda in Wicked, Grande’s fans have noticed a change in the way she speaks. In June, an interview clip went viral pointing out a sudden change in Grande’s voice, and the singer has been defending her voice change ever since.

“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 told Vanity Fair in a Sept. 30 cover story.

“When it’s a male actor that does it, it’s acclaimed,” she continued to VF. “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.”

However, she pointed out how female actors aren’t given the same kudos. “Tale as old as time being a woman in this industry,” she added. “You are treated differently, and you are under a microscope in a way that some people aren’t.”

Despite the public conversation, Grande said she’s “really proud of” her voice. “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 percent of myself, including my physicality, to this role. I am proud of that, so I wanted to protect it,” she said.

ICYMI, after a clip of the voice change went viral on social media in June, Grande jumped into the comments to explain things. “Habit (speaking like this for two years) and also vocal health,” she explained at the time. “I intentionally change my vocal placement (high / low) often depending on how much singing I’m doing. I’ve always done this BYE.”

The original viral moment came during Grande’s June 17 appearance on the Podcrushed podcast. In the middle of answering a question, Grande’s voice notably became deeper as she started to respond, and then she quickly reverted back to her higher register after collecting herself.

This isn’t the first time Grande has mentioned this vocal method. As far back as when she was doing press for Victorious, Grande shared that she spoke in a higher register when she had a day full of interviews to try to keep her voice healthy.

After explaining the vocal shifts, Grande went on to call out the double standard she’s seen in the responses to men who alter their voice for a method acting role versus women who may similarly speak in different registers for a part.

“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!’” Grande said on the July 9 episode of the Shut Up Evan podcast. “But then it's like, God forbid I sneeze like Glinda or something.”

Since Grande was first cast in Wicked back in 2021, Grande’s fans have pointed out she’s started to speak like Glinda in real life, like when she presented at the 2024 Oscars with a high, sing-songy voice. But it sounds like Grande isn’t fully under Glinda’s spell, and can change her voice around whenever she feels she needs to.