Frankie Grande Supports Ariana Grande Amid Her Plans for a Hiatus

“Ariana will be taking a step back from visibility after she completes the Eternal Sunshine Tour,” Grande’s rep told E! News in a statement August 2. “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.”

But even amid ongoing concerns over Ariana’s health—which became even more prevalent after she released a music video for the lead single in her new studio album Petal—the 33-year-old enjoyed every moment of the 41-stop tour.

“This tour has been a beautiful experience for her,” the statement added. “She loves her fans and has loved every minute of this tour so much.”

And that’s why making the decision to take some much-deserved time off was a difficult one.

“The announcement that was made yesterday was not a reactive or impulsive thing,” Grande said at her Chicago concert Aug. 3. “It is something that I had decided to plan, that I had quietly made a long time ago.”

Following online scrutiny, Grande denied that “negativity was ruining things” for her and explained she made the decision from a “thoughtful and empowered place.”

“Multiple 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.”

“No matter what noises exist out there,” she continued, “nothing will be able to distort my reality or be more real to me or louder to me as this love that we share.”

Keep reading for a look back at Ariana through the years…