When Ari met Billie: Grande and Eilish declare their mutual love, hint at possible collab during ‘Wicked’ event
Billie Eilish and Ariana Grande were a buddy comedy come to life Tuesday night, holding court following a special Wicked screening for Hollywood awards voters. The duo, who are longtime friends and mutual admirers, delighted attendees with a Q&A session-turned-lovefest that touched on Eilish’s longtime fandom of Grande (she has receipts!), their desire to do a musical collab, and something about bugs that we’re still trying to puzzle out.
In any case, here are the four greatest moments from the Eilish-Grande summit.
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“I love you so much”
At the outset, the two repeatedly — and adorably — proclaimed their love for each other. Grande said Eilish was “my dream person” to moderate the event. Eilish then revealed that she was an OG Ariana fan and that there were multiple instances, including a 2014 YouTube interview of Grande’s, where you can still see a comment from a young Billie Eilish declaring, “I’m Team Ari.”
“I know you sang live… which is f–king crazy”
Eilish confessed she was “blown away” when she learned Grande and the cast actually performed the songs live during filming, “which is f–king crazy.” Eilish said she even got into an argument with a friend because she didn’t couldn’t believe it.
Grande said the live performing was non-negotiable. “When it comes to the singing, you know what it’s like. It’s imperative for the emotional integrity of what happens in the scene. And for Glinda, particularly, the ability to improv [means] you can’t be married to a track,” she said, noting that she and co-star Cynthia Erivo leaned into their Broadway roots. “You have to have the freedom to surprise each other and play and make things up on the spot, or if it’s an emotional scene, you’re not going to sound perfect. Your voice is going to crack. And it’s really special to preserve that.”
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“Have you caught the bug?”
One delightfully daffy exchange came after Eilish inquired, “Have you caught the bug?” Grande had no clue what that meant and after a goofy back and forth, Eilish re-read the full question, which asked if Grande had caught the acting bug and whether she’d be doing more soon. “I’m thankful to have some beautiful artistic outlets,” Grande replied. “The bugs are plenty.”
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“Only two songs left!”
As the evening wound down, Eilish accidentally proclaimed that “there are only two songs left.” That sent the room into a tizzy with the audience expecting an impromptu collab. She quickly corrected herself, noting that she has been on tour so her brain is just wired to say “songs” instead of “questions.” “We need to do that, though,” Grande said, referring to a music duet. “Say when,” Eilish replied as the fans erupted.
We can’t wait.
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