Wicked Stars To Perform Live Together For The First Time Since Musical's Release At 2025 Oscars

Wicked stars Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo will perform live together at the 2025 Oscars for the first time since the musical's release. Based on the beloved Broadway musical, the first half of the film adaptation, starring Erivo as Elphaba and Grande as Galinda, was released in theaters in November 2024 and became a massive critical and commercial success, grossing over $728 million against its $150 million budget. Wicked is also nominated for 10 Academy Awards, including Best Picture, Best Actress for Erivo, and Best Supporting Actress for Grande.

Now, the Wicked stars will be performing live together for the first time since the musical's release. Announced officially by the Oscars, Grande and Erivo are among those who will be performing live at the upcoming Academy Awards on March 2. It's unknown what they will be performing, though it will likely be one or more of their songs from Wicked.

What Ariana Grande & Cynthia Erivo Performing Live Means For The Oscars

The Academy Awards Are Bucking Tradition

Traditionally, songs nominated in the Best Original Song category have been performed live at the Oscars. This year, the songs nominated in that category include "El Mal" from Emilia Pérez, "The Journey" from The Six Triple Eight, "Like a Bird" from Sing Sing, "Mi Camino" from Emilia Pérez, and "Never Too Late" from Elton John: Never Too Late. There are no songs from Wicked nominated for Best Original Song since they are adapted directly from the Broadway musical and weren't originally written for the movie, meaning they are ineligible for the category.

Anora, Emilia Perez, Gladiator II and Dune 2 with Oscar statues

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However, in a break from tradition, the songs nominated in the Best Original Song category won't be performed live at the 2025 Oscars ceremony for the first time since 2012 and only the fourth time in history. Instead, Doja Cat, LISA of Blackpink, Queen Latifah, and RAYE will also be among those performing live at the 2025 Oscars to "celebrate the filmmaking community and some of its legends." The ceremony will also include a special appearance from the Los Angeles Master Chorale, with additional performers to be announced leading up to the show.

Our Take On Ariana Grande & Cynthia Erivo Performing Live At The Oscars

It's A Brilliant Decision

It's a brilliant decision for the Oscars to forgo the performances of the Best Original Song nominees, especially since the songs from Emilia Pérez aren't widely beloved or particularly memorable. Instead, this allows Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo to perform songs from Wicked, a pop culture phenomenon. It's unclear what songs they will be performing, though it will most likely be a melody of some of their musical numbers together, including "What Is This Feeling" and the showstopping "Defying Gravity." It's sure to be an Oscars musical moment that rivals Ryan Gosling's "I'm Just Ken" from last year.