Ariana Grande returns to music with special project in the wake of 'Wicked' production pause
Ariana Grande's first-ever album Yours Truly is almost 10 years old!
In honor of the milestone, Grande has announced a week's-worth of celebration plans while production is paused on the Wicked movie during the SAG-AFTRA strike.
The 30-year-old kicked off the announcement with a mysterious Instagram post that showed a TV flickering between old and new footage of the star talking about Yours Truly and humming some familiar melodies. The footage then cuts to a scrolling lineup of special releases and performances to celebrate the almost decade-old album.
Grande has not released any new music since 2020, excluding her 2021 original song "Just Look Up" with Kid Cudi for the movie Don't Look Up.
Fans took to the comments section of the post to express their excitement. "No you don’t get it i’m EMOTIONAL," wrote one fan. "I’m SEATED," shared actor Rickey Thompson. Even Wicked co-star Jonathan Bailey added, "WAHAAA!!" on the post.
The Positions singer also posted the calendar lineup of plans to her Instagram Story. Grande’s fans can expect to enjoy the release of the Yours Truly deluxe digital album, along with newly recorded live performances of “Honeymoon Avenue” and “Daydreamin’” on August 25.
Grande wrote that the deluxe digital reissue will feature "Live from London" updated versions of songs from Yours Truly. "I can’t wait for you to hear them," she wrote, calling the project "healing and special."
Next, fans can expect a Q&A and merch capsule on August 26, a "Baby I" live performance on August 27, a vinyl preorder for a Yours Truly reissue on August 28 plus another Q&A, live performances of "Tattooed Heart" and "Right There" on the 29th, and to cap it all off, a "The Way" performance as well as some extra behind the scenes footage.
Grande only had 10 days left of filming as Glinda in the Wicked movie before production halted due to the ongoing SAG-AFTRA strike.
In April, the singer posted on Instagram that she was halfway through filming, and that she was "savoring every millisecond left with my Galinda (although she’ll be with me irrevocably, forever).
"She shows me so many new things every day," Grande wrote.
"I am so grateful, I don’t know what to do or say… to be here in Oz where everyday is a life changing one… to be feeling, learning and growing so much at such a disarming speed," she continued.
While the upcoming film will not hit theaters until 2024, with the second part of the film debuting in 2025, Grande and Wicked have made headlines recently due to news that she and co-star Ethan Slater are now dating following her split from husband Dalton Gomez. The Spongebob Squarepants: The Musical actor plays Boq, a character who crushes on Grande's Glinda.