Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo Tease Live Singing in 'Wicked'

Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo weren't kidding when they promised live singing Evil – and they're more than ready to prove it.

On Monday, the duo showed off their golden vocal chords by sharing a behind-the-scenes look at the upcoming movie musical and performing the iconic closing song “Defying Gravity” from the first act. The video, shot remotely, shows Grande as Galinda (later known as Glinda) and Erivo as Elphaba grabbing a broom as they team up for the show-stopping number.

Let's take a look at her Instagram Stories Evil Stars also shared a new featurette for the film that delves into the true magic of the musical adaptation: live music.

“Coming into this film, we weren't sure how much we would do live or not,” director Jon M. Chu says in the video. “But they are the best singers in the world and that goes for every scene they have. I sang live.”

The video is peppered with musical excerpts from the film and previews songs like “Popular,” “I'm Not That Girl” and “Dancing Through Life,” with Erivo and Grande showing off their vocal chops and assets at the same time a recording that was not pre-recorded explains the songs.

“We chose to sing live because it meant we felt more connected to the words we were saying and to each other,” Erivo said.

Grande added that live singing “immediately came naturally” to the duo, which has its roots in live theater. Erivo simply said, “There’s something special that happens when music plays live in a room.”

In this particular case, Chu likened witnessing their performances to experiencing “the best concert you've ever been to, with the best seats in the house.”

By going the live singing route, Evil continues a trend in recent films: similar techniques have been used in film musicals such as Les Misérables, La La Land, And A star is bornall of which were nominated and/or won for Best Sound at the Oscars.

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Earlier this year, Chu revealed that the decision to take on live singing came at the urging of his stars.

“When we were shooting it, these girls were like, 'F— the pre-recordings. We're going live,'” he shared.

Although he was skeptical at first, Erivo and Grande weren't intimidated by the idea of ​​singing the big numbers while performing the film's elaborate sequences. When he warned them that such performance would require “a lot of wind” in their air lines, they replied, “Yes. This is what we do.'”

Based on the hit 2003 Broadway musical, Evil tells the story of Elphaba and Galinda before the arrival of Dorothy, as the two Witches of Oz form an unlikely friendship during their school years before heading down different paths. But instead of splitting the story into two acts, this adaptation will split it into two separate films – meaning fans won't be able to hear all of their favorite songs when the first film comes out in November.

But Erivo insists this change is for the best, as it gives the characters – and their relationships – more time to develop.

“The story opens,” Erivo said Weekly entertainmentThis is particularly about the friendship between the two witches. “You can follow these women a little more behind the scenes and learn more about them,” she said. “We developed their relationship as friends. That's a really important feature to have on the show, but here you can really support it. We have something really special.”

The first of Chu's two Evil The film hits theaters on November 22nd.