In recent years, Grande appears to have made a subtle change to her name following a renewed bond with her father.
In the highly anticipated movie adaptation of the popular Broadway musical Wicked, Ariana Grande plays Glinda the Good Witch. The film is scheduled for release in theaters worldwide later this month.
Alongside Grande, Cynthia Erivo stars as Elphaba, famously known as the Wicked Witch of the West, and recently addressed a fan-made poster of Wicked.
For those who stay until the end credits, they’ll spot a slight yet meaningful alteration to Grande’s name.
According to E! News, she will appear in the credits as “Ariana Grande-Butera” in light of her recent reconnection with her father, Ed Butera.
Grande grew up in Boca Raton, Florida, with her parents, Ed and Joan Grande. Her father and mother separated when she was only eight years old.
The singer of “thank u, next” has been candid about the highs and lows of her relationship with her father. In a 2014 interview with Seventeen magazine, she revealed that she had stopped talking to him the year prior.
She recalled: “Falling out of touch with my dad. It’s private, but it happened last year. It took me so long to be okay with it. The thing that got me there was embracing the fact that I am made up of half my dad, and a lot of my traits come from him.”
“So much of me comes from my father, and for so long, I didn’t like that about myself. I had to accept that it’s okay not to get along with somebody and still love them.”
Despite these past difficulties, they have since reconciled, with Butera even joining her on the red carpet at the 2020 Grammy Awards.
Ahead of Wicked’s release, Grande has been addressing fan and industry reactions to her portrayal of Glinda.
Some have pointed out that her voice in the movie sounds higher than usual, leading to discussions even though it’s a choice for the character.
Grande has remained composed and focused amid the discussion, telling Vanity Fair in September: “There is a part of the world that isn’t familiar with what it takes to transform your voice. Whether it’s singing or taking on a different dialect for a role or doing a character voice for something.”
She continued, “When it’s a male actor that does it, it’s acclaimed. There are definitely jokes that are made as well, but it’s always after being led with praise: ‘Oh, wow, he was so lost in the role.’ And that’s just a part of the job, really.”
The 31-year-old singer further expressed, “It’s something that I’m just really proud of. Part of why I did want to engage [with the critics] is because I am really proud of my hard work and of the fact that I did give 100 percent of myself, including my physicality, to this role. I am proud of that, so I wanted to protect it.”
Wicked is scheduled to premiere in theaters on November 22.
