Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande's Oscar Medley Skyrockets Spotify Streams for 'Oz' Songs

Following Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo's breathtaking performances at the 97th Oscars, BroadwayWorld has learned that many viewers are flocking to Spotify to check out some of the original renditions of the Ozian-themed songs.

Last night, Ariana Grande opened the performance with the iconic Over the Rainbow, first sung by Judy Garland in the 1939 film The Wizard of Oz. Since Grande's rendition, Garland's version saw an 85% increase in streams on Spotify. Following Grande's solo, Erivo took the stage to perform Home from The Wiz, resulting in a whopping 1,330% increase in streams of the Diana Ross version from Spotify users. The duo ended their medley with Wicked's Defying Gravity, which saw their soundtrack version increase by 95% on Spotify. Watch the full musical performance here.

Throughout the evening, other performances included a James Bond tribute from LISA, Doja Cat & RAYE, sparking a 1,030% increase in streams of “Diamonds Are Forever” by Shirley Bassey on Spotify. 

Lastly, Queen Latifah’s tribute to the late Quincy Jones drove a 545% increase in streams of Diana Ross & Michael Jackson’s “Ease On Down The Road #1” from The Wiz film. Watch her performance here.

Kieran Culkin, Adrien Brody, Zoe Saldaña, Mikey Madison, Wicked, and more took home Academy Awards at the 97th Academy Awards. The Wicked movie won for Best Costume Design and Best Production Design, and was nominated in 8 other categories, including Best Picture, with Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande nominated for Best Actress and Best Supporting Actress, respectively. Check out the full list of winners.

Photo credit: Disney