Ariana told me to follow my pop singing dream

Wicked star Cynthia encouraged to make music by co-star Grande

- BY JACKIE ANNETT

THE stars of hit movie Wicked have used their powers for good - to persuade each other to follow their dreams.

Cynthia Erivo, who plays Elphaba in the big screen version of the stage musical, has revealed how her co-star Ariana Grande, who stars as Glinda, insisted she keep writing her second album.

Cynthia, 38, said: "At the beginning, when we were doing rehearsals, I sort of decided that, 'OK, time to write this album' coaxed by Ariana because she wouldn't let me get away with it."

Stage star Cynthia became a household name after appearing in the 2024 musical fantasy, which raked in over £550million at the box office.

She sang alongside pop star Ariana, 31, on the soundtrack, which went straight to No.1 in the UK charts and earned Cynthia praise for her powerful vocals.