Grande first delivered a moonlit rendition of “Over the Rainbow,” which Judy Garland famously sang as Dorothy in the movie “The Wizard of Oz.” Erivo then belted her version of “Home” from the 1975 Broadway musical “The Wiz,” a Dorothy number originally performed by Stephanie Mills onstage and by Diana Ross in the 1978 film adaptation.

Until they came back together to sing the Wicked‘s part one closer, "Defying Gravity." While Ariana watched in amazement, seeing Erivo soar, nailing those final notes, as did the audience. The performance earned a standing ovation.

I did not expect to have such an out-of-body experience while watching Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande perform at the 2025 Oscars, but here we are! The two opened the show with an emotional performance paying tribute to their film Wicked, which is nominated for Best Picture.