Ariana Grande is ready to take some time away from the spotlight after concluding her Eternal Sunshine Tour.
The Grammy winner, 33, delivered an emotional speech during the final night of her tour at The O2 arena in London on Tuesday, September 1, after performing 10 shows in the British capital.
“I just wanted to say thank you so much. This has been such an extraordinary experience. Thank you for 10 beautiful London shows and 41 incredible Eternal Sunshine Tour shows,” Grande said while holding back tears, per footage posted on X. “This has been one of the most beautiful, extraordinary experiences of my life, and I just want to express my gratitude without sobbing completely.”
“But really, thank you from the bottom of my heart,” the “Petal” singer continued. “It’s been so special, and I’ll cherish this experience always, and I have the best fans in the entire world, and I always have. And I love your outfits, I love your faces, I love seeing you, I love connecting with you in this way.”
“Thank you for all of your effort that you put into making this so special — all of your messages and your costumes and your wardrobe and makeup is just so beautiful,” she said before concluding, “I have loved every minute of this with you all, and I just want to make sure I express how grateful I am. Thank you, and I love you so much.”
Grande’s representative announced on August 2 that the singer “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 has led to endless, ongoing public scrutiny,” the star’s rep told People at the time. “This tour has been a beautiful experience for her. She loves her fans and has loved every minute of this tour so much.”
Grande addressed her career break onstage at her August 3 concert in Chicago, telling fans, “The announcement that was made yesterday was not a reactive or impulsive thing. It is something that I had decided, a plan I had quietly made a long time ago, and it’s a decision that was made from a thoughtful and empowered place.”
The Oscar nominee said she was aware that fans “were worried that ‘negativity’ was ruining things for me,” but insisted that was 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.”
Grande’s next public-facing project is the Meet the Parents sequel Focker-In-Law, which is due for release on November 25. The film costars Ben Stiller and Robert De Niro.
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