Ariana Grande breaks silence with 4 minute mid-show speech after she 'steps back' and cancels theatre debut
Singer's Eternal Sunshine tour still going ahead, with dates in London, as Barbican theatre role to be recast
Ariana Grande has broken her silence after she announced she will step back from public life after she cancelled her theatre debut.
Listen to this article
The 33-year-old confirmed she has dropped out of Sunday in the Park with George, which she was due to star in at the Barbican from next year, alongside Jonathan Bailey.
Grande, who released her eighth studio album, Petal, on Friday, will instead commit to seeing through the remainder of The Eternal Sunshine Tour.
The star took to the stage last night to reassure fans, after her team released the statement yesterday.
"Sometimes when a story gets out that's not directly from me, things can get a little blown out of proportion," Grande said.
Read More: Has the scrutiny of Ariana Grande gone too far?
Read More: Who is Ariana Grande's boyfriend Ricky Alvarez? Singer confirms she is back with her ex
"I wanted to speak to my fans directly tonight because I love you so much and you mean a lot to me. I wanted to let you know how Im feeling and not let the world decide and project their feelings."
She said the announcement to quit the musical was not a "reactive or impulsive thing".
"It is something that I had decided and a plan that I had quietly made a long time ago. It's a decision that was made from a thoughtful and empowered place."
She added: "I wanted to share this because I heard my fans were worried about negativity that was ruining things for me. But I just had to say that could not be more the f**k opposite."
The singer concluded: "Boundaries need to be set. Human beings can need a break sometimes."
The speech comes amid worries for Grande’s physical appearance and overall health, which escalated following the release of her "Petal" music video on July 31.
It remains to be seen how much of a role she will have in promoting her next film Focker-in-Law, which comes out in November, and sees her star alongside Ben Stiller and Robert De Niro.
Her announcement comes amid a tumultuous time for the star, who has recently confirmed she is back together with her ex-boyfriend Ricky Alvarez.
Why has Ariana Grande stepped back?
The singer and actress will “take a step back from visibility,” which has led to “endless, ongoing public scrutiny”.
Her part in Sunday in the Park With George will be recast.
Grande has endured years of scrutiny over her appearance and weight, and appeared to address this in the Petal album track Like I Do, which contains the lyric “I’ve got s*** to talk, keeps me well fed”.
During a 2014 interview, she said: “I have heard every form of what is wrong with me. And then you fix it and then it is wrong for different reasons.”
Grande has been in the public eye since breaking out as a child star in her teens with a role in the Disney drama Victorious. She has gone on to release eight albums since 2013.
Her personal life has also been a consistent source of news gossip and she was married to Dalton Gomez, an estate agent, from 2020 to 2023.
Ariana Grande’s UK tour dates
There are only 10 non-North American dates in the Eternal Sunshine tour, but all of these will be in London’s O2 Arena. The dates will be:
- August 15,
- August 16,
- August: 19,
- August 20,
- August 23,
- August 24,
- August 27,
- August 28,
- August 31,
- September 1
There are several further North American shows to be performed before Eternal Sunshine comes to the UK.
Eternal Sunshine Tour setlist
In shows, up until now, Grande has played the majority of her Eternal Sunshine album, although not in order. The set may be changed up now that Petal has been released.
According to setlist.com, Grande performed the following songs in her most recent show in Montreal on July 31.
- yes, and?
- positions
- dandelion
- the boy is mine
- eternal sunshine
- just like magic
- thank u, next
- 7 rings
- imperfect for you
- warm
- safety net
- one last time
- rain on me
- break free
- twilight zone
- past life
- dangerous woman
- honeymoon avenue
- hampstead
- into you
- hate that i made you love me
- petal
- stay
- oh well
- we can’t be friends (wait for your love)
- supernatural