Ariana Grande’s fans may get their hands on new music sooner than anyone expected — including the superstar singer herself.
Sources tell Page Six exclusively that Grande wanted to focus all her energies on her highly anticipated movie “Wicked” before going back into the recording studio.
But we hear that — while filming was paused because of the SAG-AFTRA strike — Grande made the most of her unexpected free time, dropping into the studio to work on her seventh album.
Insiders says she’s been hard at work with producer Max Martin in New York recording the follow-up to her 2020 record “Positions.”
So far we hear it’s just been the singer and the mega-producer in the studio. The pair have frequently collaborated in the past on numerous hits such as “God Is a Woman.”
Said the insider: “Her priority has been Glinda [her character in ‘Wicked’] for the past two years, and still is, as they haven’t finished the film.”
As far as a release date for the new tunes, our source told us, “She doesn’t know when she’ll want to release” an album, “as she wants to be respectful of the timeline for ‘Wicked,’ and originally didn’t want to do any music at all until after the films were released.”
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Then again, the insider said, “She works quickly and drops [in] instinctively whenever she feels ready… so who knows?”
Fans have been rabidly speculating over when Grande will release her next studio set after the success of “Positions.” The album’s title track hit No. 1, extending her streak as the recording artist with the most No. 1 debuts of anybody in history.
When paparazzi asked the Grammy winning singer over the weekend the title of her new album, the singer quipped, “Let me make it first!”
Variety previously reported that “Wicked” composer Stephen Schwartz confirmed that the movie shut down with just 10 days remaining to complete filming when the strike hit.
“Wicked” director John M. Chu had previously posted on social media of pausing the musical project due to the SAG-AFTRA strike, “We were only a few days away from being done so we were SO close. It’s been very painful to put a halt to it all but we will be back!”
He added in support of the striking “Wicked” actors, “We stand with you.”
