Holding Space and Feeling Power With the Lyrics of "Defying Gravity"

About

Holding Space and Feeling Power With the Lyrics of "Defying Gravity" refers to words uttered by Out Magazine (Out.com) reporter Tracy E. Gilchrist in her interview with Wicked movie stars Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo, during the duo's emotional press tour before the film's 2024 release. The direct quote was, "I've seen this week people are taking the lyrics of 'Defying Gravity' and really holding space with that and feeling power in that." Grande and Erivo were awestruck by the question and felt emotional from the idea. Gilchrist reiterated that she was in "queer media." The interview clip went viral on TikTok, Instagram and Twitter / X in November 2024. Viewers made fun of the interviewer's statement for being vague and seemingly nonsensical. Viewers also joked about Grande holding only the finger of Erivo when comforting her. Meme creators used the terms "hold space" and "feel power" in meme captions going forward.

Origin

On November 20th, 2024, Out Magazine (Out.com) posted a video on Instagram^[1] that was an interview with Wicked movie stars Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo conducted by reporter Tracy E. Gilchrist. In the interview clip, Gilchrist said, "I've seen this week people are taking the lyrics of 'Defying Gravity' and really holding space with that and feeling power in that." Over three days, the Reel gained roughly 14,700 likes (repost on X^[2] shown below).

I've seen this week people are taking the lyrics of "Defying Gravity" and really holding space with that and feeling power in that.

Spread

On November 21st, 2024, X^[2] user @MashaParty reposted the video with no caption, receiving over 51.6 million views and 40,000 likes in two days.

The repost amassed viral reactions in quote tweets and replies in the following days. For instance, on November 21st, X^[3] user @dayglowj0e shared a quote tweet, referencing Murray's 'You're Laughing' quote from the 2019 Joker film, writing, "You’re laughing? People are taking the lyrics of 'Defying Gravity' and really holding space with that and you’re laughing?" It received over 73,000 likes in two days (shown below).

Others made jokes about a moment in the clip when Ariana Grande grabbed Cynthia Erivo's finger to comfort her. For instance, on November 21st, 2024, X^[4] user @realonx1 replied with a screencap of the actress' hands, asking, "What was this?" The reply received over 3,500 likes in two days (shown below).

X users began joking about the idea of "holding space" and "feeling power" with the lyrics of "Defying Gravity" across multiple posts. For instance, on November 21st, X^[5] user @barbzforbernie tweeted a screencap from the TV show Glee, writing, "They were the first to take the lyrics of 'Defying Gravity' and really hold space with that," gaining over 79,000 likes in two days (shown below).

On November 22nd, 2024, X^[6] user @christress posted a parody of Sex in the City character Carrie Bradshaw writing about holding space and feeling power with the lyrics of "Defying Gravity," amassing over 49,000 likes in a day (shown below).

On November 22nd, TikToker^[7] @alexarger shared a video that added to the meme trend, showing herself spinning around with a caption reading, "How it feels when you're taking the lyrics of 'Defying Gravity' and really holding space with that and feeling power in that." The video received over 103,800 plays and 5,900 likes in a day (shown below).

Various Examples

Search Interest

External References