In a heartfelt moment, pop sensation Ariana Grande directly addressed her audience, sharing her recent decision to retreat from the limelight.
“Is it OK if we get a little real tonight?” she candidly asked her fans during a Monday night performance in Chicago, part of her Eternal Sunshine Tour. The message was captured and circulated through social media platform X.
Grande emphasized the importance of setting the record straight amid rumors. “Sometimes when stories surface that don’t come directly from my mouth, they can be misinterpreted. So, I wanted to personally connect with you all because you mean so much to me.”
The singer further clarified, “The announcement you heard yesterday wasn’t a knee-jerk reaction. It’s a decision I made a while ago, with a lot of thoughtfulness and intention.” Grande, at 33, assures fans this step back is from a place of empowerment and deliberation.
Amidst public scrutiny over her physique and health, Grande’s mother, Joan Grande, remains a pillar of support. The artist unveiled a series of behind-the-scenes images from her contentious music video for “Petal” on August 3, reinforcing her personal narrative.
Grande addressed concerns that her fans “were worried that ‘negativity’ was ruining things for me,” insisting that is not the case.
“I want you to know that many things can be true at the same time,” she said. “Boundaries can 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 career.
“No matter what noises exist out there, nothing will be able to distort my reality or be more real to me or not as real to me than this love that we share and how it feels to make art with people that I love and respect. Absolutely nothing will change that.”
“This is what I will take with me and carry with me, because the rest of that s*** is not mine to carry,” the Oscar nominee added to cheers from fans in attendance at the United Center.
Ariana Grande is speaking directly to her fans after a spokesperson for the pop star revealed her plans to take a step back from the public eye amid online scrutiny and concern over her body. “See you tonight, my sweethearts!!!” Grande, 33, wrote via her Instagram Story on Monday, August 3, referring to ticket holders […]
She added, “This tour has been the most healing, beautiful, corrective, magnificent, special experience of my life.”
After sharing her heartfelt words with the crowd for around four minutes, the singer declared, “That felt good.”
“I wish words were enough to articulate just how much I love you all. Now we can keep going,” she said before continuing her set.
Grande’s rep announced on Sunday, August 2, that the Wicked actress will take a break from the spotlight after the conclusion of her Eternal Sunshine Tour. (The tour is set to wrap September 1 in London.)
“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,” her spokesperson told People.