Los Angeles, California – Ariana Grande‘s latest studio album petal might be her last attempt to capitalize on her unforgettable turn as Glinda in Wicked! Here’s how.
At the end of April, the pop star announced that her eighth record, petal, is set to drop on July 31.
Little else is known about the album besides a few cryptic black-and-white promo photos and another short clip (also devoid of color) describing the project as “something that is full of life and growing through the cracks of something cold, hard, and challenging.”
But what if the secret to her newest era has been hiding in plain sight all along?
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Certain details bring to mind her Wicked press run, such as the flower imagery. Who could forget how many poppy field-inspired flower appliqué dresses Ari wore to promote the film?
Other stylistic elements of the petal promo pics evoke Judy Garland’s performance of Dorothy Gale in the 1939 hit film, The Wizard of Oz, which Wicked is famously a prequel/re-imagining of.
For example, the wavy half-up-half-down brunette hairdo is reminiscent of Dorothy’s Emerald City makeover look, and the heeled shoes worn with short socks look like the styling of the famous Ruby Slippers.
This could suggest that, once petal finally comes out, every photo and video for the rollout will be in fabulous Technicolor – just like the original flick did with its shift from black-and-white Kansas to the magical world of Oz!
Ari has not been shy about a lifelong obsession with Judy Garland’s take on the children’s book character Dorothy Gale.
Notably, she dressed in a ruby slipper-inspired dress for her 2025 Oscars performance of Somewhere Over the Rainbow.
Ariana also channelled aspects of Dorothy’s iconic look in various outfits for her Wicked press tour, most obviously in the LA premiere ‘fit for the first film.
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She can also be seen donning the famous blue-and-white checkered apron dress in several old childhood pictures.
The positions singer even pulled off the Dorothy getup – and accent! – during a Wizard of Oz-themed episode of the Nickelodeon show Victorious.
Note how the show also spoofed the 1939 blockbuster’s famous black-and-white to Technicolor filter shift!
So, will Ariana Grande go full Oz for the release of her next album? We’ll just have to wait and see if this prediction comes true!
