I Was Wrong About Ariana Grande

I'll admit it when I'm wrong.

Yes, it happens a lot.

I was wrong about Ariana Grande.

She was tremendous in Victorious. But she was always pop. As she came into her own as a vocalist, she pushed the boundaries with her flips, runs, etc. Her diction was arguably only slightly better than Bob Dylan.

Yes, she could do a killer Celine, and her Brittany is darn near perfection. But she was a lot like Hugh Grant. He played the same character in every movie he had ever been in. Yes, he may have been orange with green hair, but he was still Hugh Grant.

Then, Ariana was announced as Glinda in the movie version of Wicked. My immediate reaction was "they've destroyed this movie before they've even made it." Broadway diction is so perfect, so precise, because it has to be. You're live in a room, with acoustics, reverb, delay... you need to have clear diction because at best, the reverb in the room will build vocal mud, and nuance will be lost.

And, compared to, say Chenowith or Sutton Foster or Megan Hilte, or Sierra Boggess, or Ciara Rene, Ariana is, well, Bob Dylan.

Turns out, I was wrong. Very wrong.

Turns out, she has a better understanding of music, voice, technique, context, marketing, audience, persona and artistry than perhaps any singer I'm aware of. Maybe ever.

I've heard clips of Wicked, which I had honestly written off, and from what I've heard, she is exactly the opposite of what I was expecting. What I've heard is flawless.

This video from SNL - shows that her pop schtick is just that. A schtick. She's damn good at it, but she could (and would) be a powerhouse in any genre. Including Opera.

So many of the greats were one dimensional. That doesn't make them less great.

But Ariana is next level.

I was wrong. And, I can't wait to see the movie now.