Wicked” composer and lyricist Stephen Schwartz revealed in an interview with the Los Angeles Times that he pitched Ariana Grande on a different version of “Popular” for the film adaptation that she instantly turned down.

In a new Los Angeles Times oral history, Wicked composer and lyricist Stephen Schwartz explains:

Ariana Grande's 'Popular' could have sounded a lot different. In a new piece in the Los Angeles Times, composer/lyricist Stephen Schwartz has shared that, following Grande's casting, he was considering a new hip-hop rhythm for the superstar.