Ariana Grande says hiatus was planned ahead

Ariana Grande has spoken out about her upcoming break from her professional career after a representative said that she will step out of the public eye following the conclusion of her “Eternal Sunshine” tour in early September.

During her first of three performances at Chicago’s United Center on Monday night, Grande paused at the front of the stage to address news of her upcoming hiatus, which coincided with the announcement that she would be dropping out of Stephen Sondheim’s West End revival of “Sunday in the Park With George.”

“Sometimes when a story comes out that’s not directly from me, things can get a little blown out of proportion. So I just wanted to speak to my fans directly tonight because I love you so much. The announcement that was made yesterday was not a reactive or impulsive thing,” she told the crowd. “It is something that I had decided to plan that I had quietly made a long time ago and it’s a decision that was made from a thoughtful and empowered place. And I want you to know many things can be true at the same time. I want to share this because 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 fuck opposite. Honestly, this is not what that is. And I just want to be very, very clear: Multiple things can be true at the same time. Yes, boundaries, they 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.

“No matter what noises exist out there, nothing will ever be able to distort my reality or be more real to me or elaborate to me than this love that we share,” she continued. “The rest of that shit is not mine to carry, so I don’t carry it. I need to get out here and differentiate that from my truth for you all because I love you and this tour has been the most healing, beautiful, corrective, magnificent, special experience of my life.”

On Sunday, a rep said that Grande will be “taking a step back from visibility after she completes the Eternal Sunshine tour. 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 had led to endless, ongoing public scrutiny.”

Grande had just released her new album “Petal” two days prior, along with a music video for the title track that drew scrutiny for her appearance. The pop star is currently wrapping up her tour, which concludes on September 1 at London’s O2 Arena.

-Variety