As rumors and public opinion swirled following the announcement that Ariana Grande would be taking a “step back” after the end of her current tour, the singer took to the stage on Monday night to speak to her fans directly.
During her Eternal Sunshine stop at the United Center in Chicago, Grande paused the performance to “clear the air about a few things.”
“Sometimes when a story comes out that’s not directly from me, things can get a little blown out of proportion, so I wanted to speak to my fans directly tonight because I love you so much,” Grande said as the thousands packed into the venue cheered. “The announcement that was made yesterday was not a reactive or impulsive thing. It was something that I have decided. A plan that I had quietly made a long time ago. It was a decision that was made from a thoughtful and empowered place.”
She continued, “I heard that my fans were worried that negativity was ruining things for me, but I just have to say that could not be more the far opposite. This is not what that is. And I just want to be very, very clear, multiple things can be true at the same time: boundaries need to be set, human beings can need a break sometimes and also, this can be and will continue to be the greatest experience of my professional and creative life.”
Grande said that despite “what noises exist out there, nothing will ever be able to distort my reality or be real to me or louder to me than this love that we share, or even how it feels to make art with the people that I love and respect.”
As if embracing the crowd, Grande lifted her arms and said, “This is what I will always take with me and carry with me, because the rest of that shit is not mine to carry so I don’t carry it. And I wanted you to hear that from me.” Before continuing with the show, she emphasized, “I needed to get out here and differentiate that from my truth for all of you because I love you and this tour has been the most healing, beautiful, corrective, magnificent, special experience of my life.”
On Sunday, just days after Grande rolled out her latest album Petal, her rep told People in a statement, “Ariana will be taking a step back from visibility after she completes the Eternal Sunshine Tour.” As part of the break, the singer-actress will no longer appear in a London West End revival of Stephen Sondheim’s Sunday in the Park With George; it was also previously revealed that Grande would not be featuring in the upcoming season of American Horror Story, but that was due to conflicts with her Eternal Sunshine Tour and the show’s production schedule. The “step back” comes as fans voiced their concerns online about Grande’s health following the release of her “Petal” music video last Friday.
“She looks forward to finishing the tour and ending it on a high note, both healthily and happily, and then taking a much-deserved break from public-facing work and appearances, which has led to endless, ongoing public scrutiny,” the rep added in the statement. “This tour has been a beautiful experience for her. She loves her fans and has loved every minute of this tour so much.”
