Ariana Grande’s name will look slightly different in the credits of Wicked
Ariana Grande appears to have changed her name after reconnecting with her father in recent years.
The singer stars as Glinda the Good Witch in the highly anticipated film adaption of the hit Broadway musical Wicked, which releases in cinemas across the globe later this month.
Alongside Grande is actor Cynthia Erivo – who recently slammed a fan-edited Wicked poster – as Elphaba, AKA the Wicked Witch of the West.
But those who watch the movie and stick around for the ending credits will notice Grande’s name looks a bit different.
According to E! News, Grande will go by ‘Ariana Grande-Butera’ after reconnecting with her dad, Ed Butera.
Born and raised in Boca Raton, Florida, Butera separated from Grande’s mother, Joan Grande, when the singer was just eight years old.
The ‘thank u, next’ hitmaker’s relationship with her father has certainly seen its ups and downs, with Grande telling Seventeen in 2014 that she lost contact with him the year before.
She said: “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.”
The pair have since reconciled, as Butera joined his daughter on the red carpet at the 2020 Grammy Awards.
Ahead of Wicked’s release, Grande has had to defend her character from fans and industry critics.
In the movie, the star’s voice appears to be of a higher pitch than usual – which brought a lot of chatter, despite it being part of the character.
Grande has blocked out the noise, however, 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.
“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.”
Speaking of her voice, the 31-year-old added: “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 releases in cinemas on November 22.
