New Wicked Footage Reveals Live Vocals on Set

Wicked is officially less than one month away. To tease the film’s arrival, exclusive footage reveals Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo performing live vocals.

In a new behind-the-scenes look, Wicked takes fans on set to explore the magic of filming musical scenes and songs. While many fans thought the cast would be lip-syncing to a track, director Jon M. Chu gave fans a pleasant surprise that no one expected. Instead of the common lip-syncing trick, every actor on set sang live. That’s right, every lyric, high note, and harmony is live. Powerhouse vocalists Grande and Erivo perform their duets together live, as practical effects and blue backgrounds encase the set.

“Not to mention all of the incredible Glindas and Elphabas who have sang this show 8 shows a week for 21 years that have come before us !!!! We had to do it, of course, for the material and for us but also in celebration of the many brilliant witches who have been belting these songs for years, long before us,” the “eternal sunshine” singer stated, praising the previous actresses who performed each song live in numerous Broadway adaptations.

In addition, the featurette also includes Jonathan Bailey (Fiyero) alongside Grande (Glinda) discussing how the film incorporated live performances into takes and scenes. One scene cuts to the pair performing “Dancing Through Life” as the set is transformed into a live recording studio. Erivo (Elphaba) also sings live alongside Bailey for “I’m Not That Girl,” her voice echoing through the woods.

Although singing live on set is uncommon, a few films did use this method instead of lip-syncing. For example, Les Misérables and La La Land used live vocals for their films. The actresses were set on live vocals from the beginning, not interested in the traditional lip-syncing method. “These are live vocals,” the director stated. “When we were shooting it, those girls were like, ‘F— the pre-records. We’re going live.’”

Grande also posted a snippet from the featurette on her Instagram, specifically “Defying Gravity.” As they harmonize in their duet, it is almost impossible to tell which voice is who as their voices blend perfectly together. Their strong vocals uniting is also known as a “vocal blend.” Vocal blends occur when two voices blend perfectly; they become indistinguishable. Another enchanting detail for fans to become even more excited before the film’s release.

A lot of musical numbers in Wicked require a strong vocal register and breathing techniques. While quite a few songs demanded a lot out of the actors vocally, they were not phased. Chu remembered telling them that singing live on set meant “there’s going to be a lot of wind in your air pipes. Is that okay?” He stated the actors responded with confidence, “Yeah. That’s what we do.”

Catch all of the live vocals in theaters on November 22. Watch the newest trailer of Wicked below.