Fans have been buzzing about Ariana Grande’s recent appearance on the podcast “Podcrushed” with hosts Nava Kavelin and Sophie Ansari. While Grande discussed various aspects of her life and career, including her role as Glinda in the upcoming 2024 movie adaptation of “Wicked,” viewers were particularly struck by a noticeable change in her voice during the interview.
Grande, who became emotional while talking about her experience working with co-star Cynthia Erivo, shared heartfelt reflections on their collaboration. She expressed gratitude for their symbiotic working relationship, saying, “It was the most symbiotic, beautiful… I feel very grateful to have done this with her.”
However, it was an instance where Grande’s voice abruptly shifted mid-sentence that caught fans’ attention. Starting in a lower register, her voice unexpectedly switched to a much higher pitch. This vocal shift led to a flurry of reactions on social media. One fan questioned, “Literally why does she do this,” while another found the change jarring yet amusing, noting, “I knew she did this but to hear it in one setting made it more jarring I LOVE her.” A third person humorously compared the shift to their own experience of switching tones when talking to coworkers versus customers.
Some fans speculated that Grande’s vocal change might be deliberate and related to her vocal health. One user suggested, “I’m pretty sure she speaks in a mixed voice rather than chest for interviews and long speaking stuff for vocal health!” Another added, “Isn’t she all about her vocal cords health? She always talk[s] about it.”
In a previous interview with Zach Sang, Grande had indeed discussed her vocal training for “Wicked,” revealing how she had to deconstruct and transform her voice to handle the role. She credited her coaches, saying, “I tried to use that to take lessons every single day while I was doing The Voice and get ready for these auditions,” and mentioned training daily with Nancy Banks and Eric Vetro to adapt her singing and speaking voice for the part.
