Ariana Grande has told fans that her decision to take “a step back from visibility” after her current tour ends was planned “a long time ago” and was not prompted by a sudden reaction to recent public commentary.
The singer and actor addressed the issue on Monday night during the first date of a three-night run in Chicago, reading from notes as she expanded on the announcement made the previous day. The 33-year-old said the move had been considered privately for some time.
“The announcement that was made yesterday was not a reactive or impulsive thing,” Grande told the audience. “It is something that I had decided to plan quietly, a long time ago.”
The planned step back follows what a spokesperson described as “endless, ongoing public scrutiny”. It includes Grande’s withdrawal from a production of Stephen Sondheim’s Sunday in the Park with George at the Barbican in London next summer. She had been due to appear in the production alongside Jonathan Bailey, her co-star in Wicked.
Grande appeared to refer to recent public concern about her weight, which intensified after the release last week of the video for Petal, the lead single from her new album of the same name. When the video was shared on Instagram, it received a community note directing people affected by eating disorders towards support resources.
Speaking in Chicago, Grande said she understood that some fans were concerned about the effect of online negativity, but said that was not the reason for her decision.
“I heard my fans were worried negativity was ruining things for me but that could not be more than the opposite,” she said. “Boundaries need to be set, human beings do need a break sometimes.”
Grande said the decision had come from a “thoughtful and empowered place”, adding that the connection she felt with her audience remained central to her experience of performing.
“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,” she said.
Her latest album frequently returns to themes of frustration with public expectation and commentary. In the video for Petal, Grande is shown killing a group of critics with a chainsaw, a striking visual that underlines the album’s engagement with scrutiny and judgement.
On stage, she told the audience: “I love you, this is what I want always ... the rest of that [commentary] is not mine to carry.”
Grande described the current tour as “one of the most healing, beautiful, correct and special experiences” of her life. The run is due to continue with a 10-night residency at the O2 Arena in London from 15 August before ending next month.
The comments mark a more detailed explanation of the pause than the initial announcement, setting out Grande’s position that the move is a boundary rather than a retreat caused by any single episode. She did not indicate how long the step back from visibility would last.
Grande has balanced a music career with major acting roles, including her part in Wicked, while remaining the subject of intense attention from fans, entertainment media and social platforms. Her latest remarks place the forthcoming break within that wider context of visibility, performance and public scrutiny.
