Ariana Grande is grateful for the "healing and love" she receives from her fans

She told Britain's OK! magazine: "In Glinda, what resonates with me most is her want to become better and better.

"Her relationship with the Ozians is an interesting one for me.

"It feels a little bit adjacent to my relationship with my fans throughout the years.

"I feel like I'm walking a particular line and wanting to give them the best of me - but also, at times, my heart has needed some healing and some love and TLC.

"I think that is something that I've felt multiple times in my life."

Ariana believes that, at its heart, the story of 'Wicked' carries a number of important messages that should strike a chord in the modern world.

She said: "It's a very timely and yet timeless theme for evil forces to be trying to ostracise certain people or group people together or cause division.

"And I think that friendship, love and family - whether it's by blood or chosen family - these platonic friendships, these deep loves that we've found in each other and our people have always been the thing that help us survive that."

The 'Thank U, Next' hitmaker's 'Wicked' co-star Cynthia Erivo agreed.

She said: "I think it couldn't be more perfect. I think we arrived right on time.

"I think it's something that we all desperately need; connection friendship, the capacity for change, the capacity to accept others and their differences.

"Hopefully this will aid that and teach people things they might have not been willing to learn before."