Ariana Grande’s Oscars Performance Had A Hidden Meaning

On March 2, Wicked stars Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande opened the 2025 Academy Awards with a sentimental performance that both honored their film and paid homage to Los Angeles in the aftermath of January’s destructive wildfires.

Grande, who plays Glinda, began the performance with a cover of Judy Garland’s “Somewhere Over the Rainbow” from The Wizard of Oz. The song won the 1940 Oscar for Best Original Song, and as fans know, Wicked is a prequel to the 1939 film.

She then made way for Erivo, who performed “Home” from 1978’s The Wiz, the Diana Ross-led reimagining of Oz that was adapted from the Broadway musical. Finally, the two joined forces for their signature version of “Defying Gravity” from Wicked, bridging together all of the famous stories of Oz, complete with Erivo’s famous battle cry.

However, the Oz-themed performance had even more personal significance for Grande, harkening back to one of the defining moments of her career.

The Meaning Behind “Over The Rainbow”

Grande first covered “Over the Rainbow” as the finale of her One Love Manchester benefit concert in June 2017, in honor of the 22 victims of the terrorist attack outside of her Dangerous Woman Tour stop in Manchester just weeks prior.

The choice was inspired by Grande’s late grandfather, making it even more sentimental. “He would say, ‘Ariana, you know what song you have to sing? ‘Somewhere Over the Rainbow,’” Grande’s mom Joan recalled to Variety. “And she would say, ‘Grandpa, I don’t know if that would work on a pop album.’ And he said, ‘I promise you, it’s gonna be a big hit. It’s the greatest song ever written.’”

The singer’s tearful rendition became one of the defining performances of her career, with the benefit being named one of the top concerts of 2017. Grande released her cover as a digital download to benefit the victims’ families, and when she restarted the Dangerous Woman Tour a few days later, she added “Over the Rainbow” to her set list as a nightly tribute.

Nearly eight years later, Grande was able to reclaim “Over the Rainbow” at the Oscars. She gave a more lighthearted but still pitch-perfect rendition in honor of Wicked’s success, while preserving the song’s sentimental nature by also paying tribute to Los Angeles.