Ariana Grande has shared the heartwarming reason why she changed her name in the upcoming Wicked movie.
The 31-year-old musician is set to star as Glinda the Good Witch in the highly anticipated movie musical, which will be released this month.
It was reported by E! News that the singer will be credited by her full name "Ariana Grande-Butera" in the fantasy.
Her real name incorporates both her mom, Joan Grande, and dad Edward Butera’s last names. The couple split up when the 'Thank U Next' hitmaker was eight years old.
Grande opened up about her decision to go by her birth certificate-certified name in a recent interview on The Streaming Service with Justin Hill.
Watch the interview below:“Technically, it’s my little girl name!" the 'One Last Time' vocalist explained to the host, specifying that "it’s little Ari's name".
"But, no, I just feel like this experience was such a homecoming for me," she elaborated. "I feel like I came home to myself in a lot of ways through what I learned from Glinda, from [Cynthia Erivo's character] Elphaba and, you know, that was my name when I went to see the show when I was 10 years old—and it felt like a really lovely way of honoring that."
The 'No Tears Left To Cry' songstress added that the decision "felt really full circle, and it just felt like something I really wanted to do."
When the interviewer called it "a love note to" the younger version of herself, Grande agreed.
Deciding to be credited with her full birth name isn't the only change the former Nickelodeon star made for the musical as she also raised the pitch of her voice.
Grande candidly spoke about this during an interview with Vanity Fair in September, saying: "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 then slammed the double standards in the industry when it comes to certain creative choices. "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," she said.
The singer has felt critics are singing a different tune when it comes to her commitment to portraying Glinda. “Tale as old as time being a woman in this industry. You are treated differently, and you are under a microscope in a way that some people aren’t," she added.
Grande and the whole Wicked cast landed in Australia for the film premiere at Sydney’s State Theatre on Sunday (November 3).
The Grammy winner honored her character on the yellow brick carpet by wearing a pink Vivienne Westwood dress featuring a tulle skirt, corset-style bodice, and a puffed sleeve.
Meanwhile, her co-star Cynthia Erivo, who portrays Elphaba in the musical, donned a black sculptural dress by Louis Vuitton, paired with a choker embellished with a silver lion.
Wicked will be released in theaters on November 22.