Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo performed a musical medley to open the 2025 Oscars, featuring songs from Wicked, The Wizard of Oz, and The Wiz.
To open the performance, Grande took the stage for a passionate rendition of “Somewhere Over the Rainbow” from The Wizard of Oz. Then, she ceded the stage to Erivo, who dazzled while singing “Home” from the 1978 musical The Wiz. To close it out, Grande returned for “Defying Gravity.”
It’s worth noting that none of the songs from Wicked were eligible for the Best Original Song category. This was due to the Academy’s definition of an original song, which stipulates that it must be “written specifically for the motion picture.” Since the filmmakers opted to keep the soundtrack faithful to the 2003 musical,
However, Jon M. Chu’s musical adaptation still received 10 total nominations, including Best Picture, Best Actress for Erivo, and Best Supporting Actress for Grande. Additionally, composers John Powell and Stephen Schwartz received a nod for Best Original Score.
Revisit our review of Wicked Part One, and see where it landed on our list of the best films of 2024. If you haven’t seen the movie yet, it’s currently available to purchase on VOD, 4K Ultra HD, or Blu-ray.
Ariana Grande performing “Somewhere over the Rainbow” at the #Oscars
See the full winners list: https://t.co/cDPncK6OIM pic.twitter.com/EUnS4K4vrN
— DiscussingFilm (@DiscussingFilm) March 3, 2025
Ariana Grande e Cynthia Erivo cantam Defying Gravity! #Oscars pic.twitter.com/Hs7R5t3LHe
— Gustavo (@gustavobonotto) March 3, 2025
Cynthia Erivo just nailed the “Defying Gravity” Wicked riff at the Oscars wowwww pic.twitter.com/Mbmpz13Aq9
— Spencer Althouse (@SpencerAlthouse) March 3, 2025
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