Ariana Grande admits her plans to slow down her music career will "scare the absolute s***" out of her fans.
The 'Wicked' star says her starring role as Glinda the Good Witch in the two-part big-screen adaptation of the Broadway classic has made her want to return to her musical theatre roots - but she's promised fans she isn't ditching music for good.
Appearing on the 'Las Culturistas' podcast, Ariana - who has released seven studio albums since 2013 - said: “It is my heart.
“I’m gonna say something so scary — it’s gonna scare the absolute s*** out of my fans and everyone, but I love them, and they’ll deal, and we’ll be here forever.
“I’m always going to make music, I’m always going to go on stage, I’m always going to do pop stuff, I pinky promise. But I don’t think doing it at the rate I’ve been doing it for the past 10 years is where I see the next 10 years.”
The 31-year-old pop megastar's entertainment career began when she was just 15 in the Broadway musical '13' in 2008.
The former child star added: “Reconnecting with this part of myself who started in musical theatre, and who loves comedy, and it heals me to do that — finding roles to use these parts of myself and put them in little homes and characters and bits and voices and songs.
“Whatever makes sense, or whatever roles we see fit, or where I could really do a good job or honour the material, I would really love to. I think it’s a lot better for me. I’m getting emotional.”
Ariana - who shot to fame portraying Cat Valentine in the' Nickelodeon' series 'Victorious' from 2010 until 2013 - recently admitted she understands the controversy surrounding her ‘Wicked’ casting because of her lack of acting experience.
Reflecting on her role during an appearance on the ‘Sentimental Man’ podcast, she said: "This is something I loved so much about auditioning for ‘Wicked’. It has to be earned.
"Anything on this scale, being a part of anything, it’s not just given because they know for one thing. So, it’s fun to kind of have the challenge of re-framing people’s perception and doing the work to earn your way back into the other spaces."
The ‘Thank U, Next’ hitmaker added she was somewhat wary about the potential backlash to her casting as The Good Witch, though emphasised that fans hadn’t seen the extensive training she underwent to prepare for the role.
She said: "I felt a little bit of the initial nervousness or the sort of preconceived notions about what I might be able to deliver or not deliver, or why I would be wrong or whatever."
Even so, she knew that her pop career would have actively worked against her for more cynical observers.
She explained: "Going off of ‘Side to Side’, I probably would’ve said the same thing.
"I probably would’ve said, ‘Why the f***? Kill me. I’ve waited 20 years for this. Kill me.’ I would’ve said that — as a fan from the outside knowing of only ‘7 Rings’, probably — I’d say, ‘Well, that’s b******’ So, you know, I get it."
