Oscars 2025: Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo Kick Off the Biggest Night in Hollywood With Classic Renditions and Some ‘Wicked’ Magic

Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo kicked off Oscars 2025 with a Wicked-themed medley, honoring both their film and Hollywood classics, dazzling the audience with a spellbinding performance.

Written by Seema Sinha , Entertainment Journalist

Updated on Mar 03, 2025 | 07:10 AM IST | 12.8K

Ariana Grande, Cynthia Erivo at 2025 Oscars (Getty Images)

The 97th Academy Awards are underway at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood, Los Angeles, with two celebrated divas opening the industry's biggest night. Wicked stars Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo hit the Oscars stage on Sunday, March 2, to deliver a Wizard of Oz-themed medley. The former emerged under the spotlight first in a ruby red dress, while the latter donned a white gown adorned with shining flowers of various colors. Grande and Erivo, from Jon M. Chu’s 2024 musical, not only paid homage to their Best Picture-nominated film but also nodded to the legacy of Wicked, beginning in 1939.

Grande began the rendition of Over the Rainbow from the 20th-century Tinseltown classic before stepping out of the spotlight to give Erivo her moment. Erivo carried on the performance with Home from 1978’s The Wiz.

Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo at the 2025 Oscar Awards (Getty Images)

To close out their show-starter, the pair crooned Defying Gravity. The star-studded audience erupted in applause when Erivo hit the final note. Michelle Yeoh, who played Madame Morrible in Wicked, was seen teary-eyed.

For those uninitiated, both singer-actresses are nominated for Best Supporting Actress and Best Actress tonight for their respective performances in the film. The film is also in contention for Film Editing, Production Design, Costume Design, Makeup and Hairstyling, Sound, Original Score, and Visual Effects, alongside the earlier-mentioned top accolade, Best Picture.

Wicked 2, officially titled Wicked: For Good, is set for release in November 2025. We might as well consider tonight’s performance as the unofficial start to the 2025 promo tour for the film.

Previously titled Wicked: Part Two, the film will pick up after a time leap. Grande’s Glinda will be fully in her tenure as Glinda the Good Witch of the North, while Erivo’s green-hued Elphaba will be deep in her Wicked Witch of the West era. Jonathan Bailey, Ethan Slater, Marissa Bode, Jeff Goldblum, and Yeoh will all return.