DETROIT – Detroit native Antea Birchett is one of the unexpected musical forces behind the blockbuster film Wicked for Good -- and she didn’t need a green potion to make it happen.
Antea Birchett, a Grammy Award–winning songwriter, vocal coach and music educator from Detroit’s west side, served as Cynthia Erivo’s vocal coach on the movie, helping shepherd one of the film’s most powerful performances, including the iconic showstopper “Defying Gravity.”
Birchett’s work with Erivo dates to 2019, when she coached the actress for Nat Geo’s Genius: Aretha, in which Erivo played Aretha Franklin.
“I met Cynthia Erivo for the first time when she was playing Celie on Broadway,” Birchett says. “Coaching Cynthia as Aretha, actually, was a lot easier than I thought it was going to be. Because their voices are very similar. She was able to work through the dialect.”
Birchett grew up on Detroit’s west side and studied at Cass Technical High School and Wayne State University. Her formative years singing in church and being part of a musical family laid the foundation for a career that spans songwriting, coaching and teaching.
“I went to Cass Tech. I went to Wayne State. I grew up in church at Greater Grace,” she recalls.
When Erivo was cast as Elphaba in Wicked for Good, Birchett was both ecstatic and pragmatic. She says she immediately reached out to congratulate Erivo — and was invited to join the project.
“I saw that she had been cast as Elphaba. Sent her a text message. Freaking out. Cynthia, are you serious? This is incredible. Congratulations,” Birchett said. Erivo’s reply changed everything: “Thank you so much. Do you want to go on this ride with me?” Birchett remembers thinking, “Yes! I do, are you kidding?”
That yes took Birchett to London in 2022, where she worked near director John Chu as part of Erivo’s green team. On set, she balanced technical coaching with artistic choices, helping Erivo make breathing decisions, select runs and shape emotional delivery while the actress was performing stunts and taping long, demanding musical sequences.
“To be able to walk her through that while she was doing the stunts and singing the song, and work through different runs, and make a choice here, breathe there, instead of here — and for it to come out the way it did, we all were in tears, the whole time,” Birchett said.
Birchett is more than a backstage coach. She’s an accomplished songwriter who has written for major artists, and she also runs a private coaching company, Teach What I Know, where she works with students around the globe. She is also a professor of songwriting at Berkley and credits her family and her father for much of her musical grounding.
“I don’t, I don’t know. I think. As things happen and unfold, I’m always in this space of awe and gratitude. Whoa! Like, I can’t believe I get to do this,” Birchett said. “I’ve spent a lot of time doing this and I’ve just so happened to have gotten good at it.”
Birchett has written songs for musicians including Beyoncé, Justin Bieber, J-Lo, Ciara and other prominent artists.
Birchett continues to coach performers and students worldwide. For those interested in her coaching work, you can learn more here.