Ariana Grande Plans to Pursue More Musical Theatre; Will Release Less Pop Music

Ariana Grande is ready for more musical theatre.

While appearing on her Wicked co-star Bowen Yang's Las Culturistas podcast, Grande revealed that she plans to put out less pop music in the coming years to focus on musical theatre and acting roles.

"[Broadway] is my heart," Grande revealed. "I'm always gonna make music. I'm always gonna go on stage. I'm always gonna do pop stuff. I pinky promise. But I don't think doing it at the rate that I've been doing it for the past 10 years is where I see the next 10 years going."

She now leaves the door open to return to Broadway, having made her debut in 13 in 2008.

"I think that I would love to [do Broadway] in whatever makes sense, or whatever roles that we see fit, or where I could really do a good job or honor the material, I would really love to because I think it's a lot better for me."

Throughout the past five years, Grande has put out pop records at a frequent rate. She has put out four full-length albums since 2018, only taking a break in for two years to focus on auditioning and filming Wicked.

"I think I love acting, I love musical theatre," she continued. "I think reconnecting with this part of myself who started in musical theater and loves comedy, and it heals me to do that."

She also includes that she is looking forward to leaning further into taking on characters and putting out work that does not reflect her personal life and struggles. Her latest album, "Eternal Sunshine" released earlier this year, documented her recent divorce from Dalton Gomez. 

"Finding roles to use these parts of myself and put them in little homes and characters and buts and voices and songs. It really does, in a different way than songwriting and writing about my own pain, because it's just kind of constantly reliving that one thing that you wrote the song about."

Earlier on in the episode, Yang and co-host Matt Rogers asked Grande their signature question, "What was the culture that made you say culture was for you?" The prompt led Grande into gushing over her favorite Broadway diva: Sherie Rene Scott.

"Sherie Rene Scott is my answer," she shared, revealing her love of the cast recording after seeing Scott in Dirty Rotten Scoundrels. "I remember being like, that's life changing to see. She's the best in the world."

"I mean her, and Kristin [Chenoweth] and Sutton Foster, and just these like ladies who I grew up just listening on repeat, and just like my musical theatre goddesses, you know?" 

Wicked, which features Grande taking on the coveted role of Glinda, will be released in theaters on November 22. It stars Cynthia Erivo as Elphaba, along with Jonathan Bailey as Fiyero, Ethan Slater as Boq, Michelle Yeoh as Madame Morrible, Marissa Bode as Nessarose, and Jeff Goldblum as the Wizard.