By: Izzy Fortune

After her sold-out tour and latest album release, Ariana Grande chooses to step back from the spotlight after long consideration of the choice, and the world is left to speculate what she will plan next.

Ariana’s Latest Feats and Praise

Lately, Ariana Grande’s name has been circling pop culture news outlets and social media dashboards every few swipes. She has recently concluded her nearly three-month tour, which included forty-one sold-out shows, in arenas not only across the U.S. but in London as well. Each show had a run-time of roughly two hours and had pop-up experiences for the fans to enjoy before entering the show, such as:

• Exclusive Merchandise: Items that weren’t sold anywhere but at stops on the tour, including hoodies, crewnecks, t-shirts, and special tour vinyl pressings.
• Themed Accessories: Smaller items including socks, hats, and a special r.e.m Beauty Teddy Bear keychain.
• Interactive Display: The venues also hosted photo booths and memory walls for fan use. Brand collabs from Swarovski and Essence were also available for fans.

Personally, I felt extreme FOMO while seeing the TikTok videos on my For- You-Page and seeing all of the merch that fans were able to get. Even a co-worker of mine at my job managed to get suite tickets and had the time of her life. From the clips and posts from Ariana Grande herself, it was clear that this tour was a different experience than prior tours she’d done in the past. She formulated her setlist to include her past albums, notably Yours Truly, My Everything, Dangerous Woman, Positions, and of course Eternal Sunshine. There were outfit changes, choreographed moments with her dancers, and even stunts where she was lifted in the air with harnesses. Whether you like her or not, Ariana truly saved some of her biggest feats for this last tour of hers. It only was added to by the release of her latest album, Petal, during while amidst the tour.

From an interview released by Apple Music, she was asked a question about how she expected fans to react. She speaks on how Petal was experimental and came from a place she normally wouldn’t write in, and from an avid listener, I would have to say it couldn’t be more true. When it comes to songs like “petal”, “hate that i made you love me”, “oh well”, “freak”, and “warning signs (interlude)”, it was interesting to break down Ariana Grande’s lyricism and to pick apart the meanings behind certain lines. She isn’t new to public criticism whatsoever but has finally put a foot down with her fans about how their behavior with her makes her feel. From “parasocial headcanons” to tearing down projects she was excited to give to the world, Petal seemed to place a boundary for Ariana and her fans in a new wave of sound.

Media Circus and Hate-Trains to Grande

Ariana Grande is not new to being under the spotlight and under the giant magnifying glass that is public scrutiny. With her lifestyle, music, dating life, and appearance, anything the public can make a comment on will be said just in order to get clicks. Though part of me can’t help but think about this time of public scrutiny coming down too harshly after Ariana ended her tour and after the release of Petal. Ariana’s body has been the topic of many articles now, as fans have been outspoken with their opinion as to what the singer is going through. Some fans have kept it brief with their comments and have stayed supportive of her through her endeavors, while others have been severe with their tone and choices of words. Comments vary from disheartening to outright vile to utter to anyone: “She’s dangerously thin and won’t last long”, “We’re basically watching her kill herself up on stage”, “She’s using this tour to body check herself, and she’s loving it”, “I bet she’ll start cancelling shows once it gets further in”. All of the comments are made out of ignorance, as the singer has stated before in videos she had posted to her account. They have been clipped by news outlets in 2023, where she addresses the comments about her body and other people’s bodies in general. She states in the video, “I think we should be more gentler and less comfortable commenting on people’s bodies, no matter what. If you think you’re saying something good or well-intentioned, whatever it is, healthy, unhealthy, big, small, this, this, sexy, not sexy. We just shouldn’t.”

But I would be lying if I said that I hadn’t had my own concerns about Ariana Grande when she was first doing her shows; to be brief, it can be triggering to see a body type or one provoking such emotions in you. But I hardly think it’s fair to demonize Ariana all because people on the internet think they’ve seen it all before. As a fan who is reconnecting with her music after a while, I feel as though the world has been too harsh on Ariana Grande and is feeling too comfortable with commenting on just anything. When it comes to celebrities, we will never truly know everything there is to know about how they live their daily lives. To be a fly on the wall really sparks an itch in most people in today’s world, but unfortunately we’re only open to the information that gets given to us directly. If she can exhibit kindness no matter what gets thrown at her, how come it can be hard for others to do the same? To be frank, she proved the hate wrong each show as she improved night after night, was active and lively when performing on stage, and left the tour with only a hurt ankle and a dazzling smile. Whether you love her or hate her, Ariana Grande soars through the ups and downs despite the odds and continues to live her best life.

Her Upcoming Break and What It’ll Mean

Even after her explosive success recently, Ariana Grande had announced her choice to take a break from the spotlight. Despite how the public perceived this message, the singer had made it clear that the decision was not made irrationally or in light of the hate she was receiving. This decision had been a long-time chosen path Ariana had wanted to take, and personally I think it’d do her well to take the time to be with herself. Her life seemingly has been all about her fans left and right, and after going through a world tour, releasing an album, and now starring in the film Focker In Law, which hits theaters this Thanksgiving. Along with promoting her makeup brand r.e.m Beauty during her shows and her brand collaboration with Swarovski, Ariana has been booked and busy for quite some time. So why shouldn’t she take a break? Why complain about her taking the time for herself? I feel like it’s well deserved and something everyone should take the time to do every once in a while. No matter if life is going well, or bad, or even neutral; pauses from here and there can offer new ideas or new paths in life that might not happen if people hadn’t taken that break. As for Ariana, I think the world should move on to something more worth their energy. If a pop star is able to spark this much heat, why not direct that into something much more productive? Why stress over a life you will never fully know? What will occur if you don’t get to know?

K Bye for Now

I think Ariana’s mental health should be all that people should value and expect from her. Regardless of her scandals and other delusions people may project onto her, she’s made her stance firm, and she’s proving that she will not change for anyone but herself. Especially being at the superstar level she is at in her career and influence on the world, it is hard to do things for yourself when, in the back of your mind, you can’t help but think about how others will take it. That’s not on her to have to deal with, and people should be able to see that and give her the privacy she deserves. Unfortunately, I feel like that will be a constant until the end of time because the world just isn’t perfect. We could learn from this break that Ariana is taking and hope she makes the needed growth she wishes to experience. For now, in true Ariana Grande style: K Bye for Now.

Isabella Fortune is a junior English/Secondary Education major at Holy Family University, graduating in fall 2027. A creative writer who, in her free time, likes to read novels, write short stories, and sketch from time to time.