Ariana Grande, Cynthia Erivo on recording live vocals for 'Wicked'

Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo were already prepared for live singing in Wicked.

According to a report by MusicRadar, speaking in a featurette, Grande reflected on the duo's decision to record all vocals live on set.

“It was an immediate no-brainer for Cynthia and I. We both were like, ‘well, of course we’re singing live.’ There’s something special about what happens when music is live in a room,” Grande stated.

Director Jon M Chu said in an on-set interview, “You know, when we came into this movie we weren’t sure how much we were going to do live or not, but they are the best singers in the world and so every scene they have been singing live.”

Meanwhile Erivo added, “We chose to sing live because it meant that we would be further connected to the words we were saying and to each other.”

“So what we’ve managed to do is immerse the audience, because effectively our movie set is also a recording studio. so that raw and real emotion that we are recording on set right now will be what you hear and experience in the theatre,” Chu said.

As Wicked part one hit cinemas on Friday, part two will be released on November 21, 2025.