Ariana Grande may be wrapping up her Wicked era, but she’s far from done dominating magazine covers.
For Vogue Japan (see the cover here!), the singer stunned in a chic Balenciaga structured off-the-shoulder dress featuring dramatic cutout slits along the sleeves. She effortlessly slipped her hands into the dress’s hidden pockets, adding a cool, relaxed edge to the high-fashion look. The singer accessorized with a satin pink Rachel Trevor Morgan headpiece tiara—one that wouldn’t look out of place on Kate Middleton—along with sparkling Swarovski diamonds.
She completed the look with her signature doll-like pink makeup and wore her brown hair in a high bun with soft, side-swept bangs.
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Ariana Grande Stuns in Vogue Japan Cover
During the interview with the publication, the 32-year-old spoke candidly about her role as Glinda and reflected on whether she’s ready to slow down after more than a decade in the spotlight. At one point, she opened up about the idea of taking a break.
“I think that it would probably be healthy to,” Grande admits. “I'm not used to taking breaks. But I do know that I grew so much from taking space from music while I was filming Wicked… But yeah, these past few years have been pretty nonstop. And by few, I mean fifteen.”
As for when she might actually hit pause, Ariana said the timeline is still uncertain. “Balance is the goal for the next fifteen years. I don't think they will look like the previous fifteen years. I think there will be more balance.”
The cover arrives amid reports that Ariana and Cynthia’s much-talked-about friendship and on-set dynamic during Wicked allegedly “creeped out” some Oscar voters, with insiders claiming it may have contributed to both stars being snubbed during this year’s Oscar nominations.
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Oscar Voter Sheds Light On 'Wicked' Snub
An anonymous Oscar voter recently shared insight into why Wicked: For Good—and its lead stars, Ariana and Cynthia—earned zero nominations at the 2026 Academy Awards.
“The movie wasn’t that great. The two have amazing on-screen chemistry but spent most of the movie apart,” the voter told NewsNation. “I was also just completely turned off by their promotional performances. They creeped a lot of people out and, in their rush to feel authentic, came off as cosplaying.”
Another voter echoed the sentiment, claiming the two actresses “sucked the air out of any red carpet they were on—and no one wanted to go through that again.”
The sequel picked up several nominations across other major awards shows but was notably shut out of the Oscars. Despite the original Wicked earning 10 nominations in 2025, the follow-up failed to land a single nod for the 98th Academy Awards.
Both Cynthia (Best Actress) and Ariana (Best Supporting Actress) were left off the ballot, and the film also missed expected recognition in technical and original song categories.
While it fell short at the Oscars, the movie did receive attention earlier in the season at the Golden Globes and Critics Choice Awards.
