In a new Los Angeles Times oral history, Wicked composer and lyricist Stephen Schwartz explains:

When it came to her take on Glinda, Ariana Grande didn’t want to stray too far from the original. Wicked composer and lyricist Stephen Schwartz recently revealed that while recording the movie musical’s track ‘Popular’,

Wicked” composer and lyricist Stephen Schwartz revealed in an interview with the Los Angeles Times that he pitched Ariana Grande on a different version of “Popular” for the film adaptation that she instantly turned down.