Ariana Grande's Smashes Are ‘Defying Gravity' Yet Again

Forbes

17-06-2025

Ariana Grande's 'Popular' and 'Defying Gravity' return to U.K. vinyl and physical singles charts as ... More anticipation for the second Wicked movie builds. NEW YORK, NEW YORK - DECEMBER 03: (L-R) Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo attend as Universal Pictures presents special New York City WICKED Screening at Metrograph on December 03, 2024 in New York City. (Photo byfor Universal Pictures)
Ariana Grande has essentially stopped promoting her most recent album Eternal Sunshine, and interest in the pop project has largely dwindled. While the singer's latest full-length continues to appear on a handful of album charts in the United Kingdom, none of the tunes pushed from the project — or its deluxe edition follow-up, Brighter Days Ahead — are still present.
Grande does manage something of a comeback this week, though, as two recent 'popular' cuts 'defy gravity' and return to the charts.
'Popular' and 'Defying Gravity,' both from the first Wicked film, reappear on a pair of rankings apiece in the U.K. The former is credited solely to Grande, while the latter is a collaboration with her co-star Cynthia Erivo.
Between the two, 'Popular' is the bigger hit at the moment. This frame, it reenters the Official Vinyl Singles chart at No. 18 and the Official Physical Singles ranking at No. 25.
'Defying Gravity' — arguably the more famous track from Wicked — is not far behind. The duet lands at No. 23 on the vinyl-only tally and No. 32 on the list of the top-selling tracks on any physical format, including CD, cassette, and wax records.
In the past, both 'Popular' and 'Defying Gravity' have reached the top five on the two tallies on which they currently appear. Grande's solo tune missed out on becoming a No. 1 by just a single spot, while 'Defying Gravity' peaked in third place.
The two tracks have spent four weeks each on the Official Vinyl Singles list. 'Defying Gravity' is now up to six frames on the Official Physical Singles chart, while 'Popular' has amassed seven stays on the roster.
While 'Popular' and 'Defying Gravity' are Grande's only charting tunes in the U.K. at the moment, her album Eternal Sunshine does still manage to hold on — even though she's no longer pushing singles from the set. The Grammy-nominated project drops on all three rankings it finds a home on, and it barely manages to keep on the Official Physical Albums list, dipping to No. 99. The set appears dozens of spaces higher on both the Official Albums chart and Official Albums Streaming list, slipping slightly to Nos. 57 and 56, respectively, well over a year after it debuted.