Journalist Behind That 'Wicked' 'Holding Space' Interview Tries To Explain What That Means

Tracy Gilchrist attends the GLAAD Media Awards at the Beverly Hilton on March 30, 2023, in Los Angeles.Michael Kovac via Getty ImagesJournalist Tracy Gilchrist went viral last week for an interview she did with “Wicked” stars Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo, where she told the actors she’d seen people taking the lyrics of “Defying Gravity,” the musical’s signature showstopper, “and really holding space with that and feeling power in that.”What exactly does this mean? The two stars seemed to know instinctively.Erivo put her hand to her chest and murmured: “I didn’t know that that was happening.

That’s really powerful.” Grande grabbed Erivo’s index finger in support.Advertisement pic.twitter.com/NL8VlANzKa— masha (@MashaParty) November 21, 2024The interview went viral on social media, where many people were baffled about what it actually means to “hold space” for a song, and why that assertion landed so powerfully with Erivo and Grande.I can't tell what my favorite part of this video is: the solemnity in announcing people have been "holding space" for the lyrics of a 20 year old song, Cynthia acting like she personally wrote it, Ariana holding onto Cynthia's index finger, or the reveal of "a couple of posts" https://t.co/eDDUNcvaRn— maya (@irish_goodbi) November 22, 2024Adding to the oddness of the whole thing is that in the interview, Gilchrist almost immediately cited her sources for the claim as “a couple posts,” acknowledging to Grande and Erivo: “I don’t know how widespread.”Advertisement “But, you know, I am in queer media,” added Gilchrist, who is vice president of editorial and special projects at the media company Equalpride, and who was interviewing the “Wicked” actors for Out magazine.I’m completely mesmerized by this clip ..it’s almost like they are speaking a language I don’t understand .

I can’t catch the sense of it for a single moment.I’m not understanding the words or the feel...