Ariana Grande Says Plan to Take a Step Back Came from ‘Empowered Place’

Ariana Grande is speaking directly to her fans about plans to take a break from the public eye.

Over the weekend, her rep told People magazine that Grande was “taking a step back from visibility” after her “Eternal Sunshine” tour.

At her Chicago tour stop on Monday, Ariana addressed the news onstage.

The 33-year-old said, “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. It was something that I have decided, a plan that I had quietly made a long time ago. It was a decision that was made from a thoughtful and empowered place. And I want you to know that many things can be true at the same time.”

Grande went on, “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 far opposite. This is not what that is. And I just want to be very, very clear — multiple things can be true at the same time. Boundaries 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 real to me or louder to me than this love that we share, or even how it feels to make art with the people that I love and respect.”

She continued, “This is what I will always take with me and carry with me, because the rest of that sh*t is not mine to carry, so I don’t carry it. And I wanted you to hear that from me. I needed to get out here and differentiate that from my truth for all of you because I love you and this tour has been the most healing, beautiful, corrective, magnificent, special experience of my life.”

Ariana will wrap her tour September 1, following a 10-day residency in London.

The initial announcement was a shocker, considering Grande is mid-tour and just released her eighth studio album, “Petal,” on Friday.

Amid her break, People reports Grande will no longer co-star with Jonathan Bailey in the West End revival of Stephen Sondheim’s “Sunday in the Park with George” next summer.

Ariana will be back in the spotlight this fall when her new movie “Focker-in-Law” with Ben Stiller and Robert De Niro hits theaters November 25.