It turns out there ain’t no rest for the Wicked. Midway through shooting a film adaptation of the hit musical, Ariana Grande (who will play bedazzled do-gooder Glinda in the big screen version) suddenly found herself at a loose end after Hollywood strikes put the brakes on proceedings.
Time to take up a new hobby, book a cheeky holiday, or perhaps even stand on some picket lines? Not on Grande’s watch: instead, in true pop star style, she used the surprise downtime to head back into the studio with her frequent collaborator, the Swedish pop producer Max Martin. The pair didn’t set out to make an album, and simply holed up in New York’s Jungle Studios to throw around a few ideas. But almost right away â as Grande has explained to the podcaster Zach Sang â a new record began “pouring out”.
