Ariana Grande explains decision to 'step back from visibility' as 'not reactive or impulsive'
The singer told fans during a Chicago show that her plan to withdraw from public life after her tour was made quietly long ago, citing ongoing scrutiny.
Ariana Grande has elaborated on her previously announced intention to "take a step back from visibility" once her current tour ends next month. Speaking from notes during the opening show of a three-night run in Chicago on Monday, the 33-year-old musician and actress said the announcement made the previous day was not a reactive or impulsive decision. "It is something that I had decided to plan quietly, a long time ago," she told the audience.
The planned retreat includes withdrawing from a production of Stephen Sondheim's "Sunday in the Park with George" at London's Barbican next summer. Grande had been expected to appear alongside her "Wicked" co-star Jonathan Bailey. A spokesperson had earlier attributed the move to "endless, ongoing public scrutiny".
During the Chicago performance, Grande appeared to acknowledge long-running public concern about her weight, which intensified after the release of the music video for "Petal", the lead single from her new album of the same name, last week. When the video was posted on Instagram, it received a community note directing viewers with eating disorders to resources.
"I heard my fans were worried negativity was ruining things for me but that could not be more than the opposite," Grande said. "Boundaries need to be set, human beings do need a break sometimes." She said the decision was made from a "thoughtful and empowered place". She added: "No matter what noises exist out there, nothing will ever be able to distort my reality, or be more real to me than this love that we share."
Grande's latest album has been noted for expressing frustration with public expectations. In the "Petal" video, she kills a group of critics with a chainsaw. On stage in Chicago, she said: "I love you, this is what I want always ... the rest of that [commentary] is not mine to carry."
She described her current tour as "one of the most healing, beautiful, correct and special experiences" of her life. The tour continues with a 10-night residency at the O2 Arena in London starting 15 August.
