Ariana Grande is embracing her family roots in a heartfelt way, choosing to credit herself by her full birth name, “Ariana Grande-Butera,” in the upcoming film adaptation of Wicked.

According to E! News, Grande’s name will appear this way in the opening and closing credits, marking a symbolic gesture in her personal journey after rekindling her relationship with her father, Ed Butera.

The name “Grande-Butera” combines her mother Joan Grande’s surname and her father’s, reflecting the complex but significant connection she shares with both parents.

Her relationship with her father, a graphic designer, has been strained over the years. The two lost touch in 2013, which left an emotional mark on Grande.

She publicly referenced their estrangement in her 2018 hit, Thank U, Next, singing, “One day I’ll walk down the aisle / holding hands with my mama / I’ll be thanking my dad ’cause she grew from the drama.”

This reconciliation is a meaningful step for Grande, who has previously described the fallout with her father as “one of the hardest things” she’d faced.

In a 2014 interview with Seventeen magazine, she opened up about the emotional toll of their strained relationship: “It’s private… It took me so long to be okay with it. So much of me comes from my father, and for so long, I didn’t like that about myself. I had to accept that it’s okay not to get along with somebody and still love them.”

Hints of their reconciliation surfaced in 2017, when Grande shared a throwback photo of her father with a simple caption, “I love you.” Now, by adding “Butera” to her professional identity in Wicked, she publicly acknowledges this new chapter in their relationship—a gesture that speaks to both her growth and her embrace of family ties.

For Grande, this name change is more than just a credit line; it represents healing, acceptance, and a renewed connection with her roots.

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