In the lyrics of Hate that I made you love me, the catchy first promotional single from her new album, Petal, Ariana Grande does not beat around the bush. “I hate that I made you love me/Sorry if I became your type/Because I barely tried.”
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The 33-year-old singer and actress, one of the most popular names in global pop, seems upset. At least that is what she has hinted at with her latest decision. She has just announced a temporary retirement from public life once her current Eternal Sunshine Tour ends. The reason given is the constant “public scrutiny.”
“Ariana will temporarily step away from public life once the Eternal Sunshine Tour ends,” a spokesperson for the artist said last Sunday in a statement published by People magazine.
“She is very eager to finish the tour and conclude it on a high note, both in health and happiness, and then take a well-deserved break from work and public appearances, which have led to constant and endless public scrutiny.”
The decision means the singer will fulfill her remaining dates, which extend until September 1, when she finishes a series of 10 shows at the O2 in London. She will also leave the production of the musical Sunday in the Park with George at the Barbican in London, where she shared roles with Jonathan Bailey.
The news caused a stir. Therefore, on the night of Monday, August 3, during the first of her 3 shows in Chicago, the artist addressed the decision. “Sometimes, when a story comes out that doesn’t come directly from me, things get a little exaggerated,” she said, clearly intending to set her point of view.
“Yesterday’s announcement was not an impulsive reaction,” she explained. “It’s something I had already decided. It’s a plan I quietly made a long time ago, and it’s a decision made with full conviction and certainty.”
The Florida native’s decision coincides with the release of the music video for Petal, which has sparked controversy over the singer’s appearance, as she looks extremely thin. Also, in the video, she carries a chainsaw against a group of critics, and the lyrics seem to talk precisely about the constant scrutiny, which was referenced as the reason for her withdrawal.
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“I try to feel something worth crying over/They say the artist needs tears to write more/Because all my favorite stories end in some kind of catastrophe/But I don’t need someone to save me,” she sings.
In another track from the album, Like I Do, she goes a bit further and in one of its lines throws out an idea that can be read as a jab at sensationalist media and the constant notes about her appearance and weight: “I have things to say, that keeps me well fed.”
Precisely on this last point, the singer elaborated on stage. “I heard that my fans were worried because negativity was ruining things for me, but I have to say it’s quite the opposite,” she stated.
“Nothing has been ruined. Several things can be true at the same time. Sometimes it’s necessary to set boundaries,” she added. “Human beings need a breather. And besides, this can be, and will continue to be, the best experience of my professional and creative life.”
Ariana closed by saying she prefers to hold on to the experience of having released a new album and closing with a tour and “the rest of that shit is not mine to carry, so I don’t carry it.”
That expression is somehow what runs through her new album, which has generated mixed reviews, but there is agreement that it is one of the darkest she has presented in her career.
“Petal is an album of contained, controlled, and measured anger; there are no outbursts of rage,” details The Guardian’s review. “Perhaps it’s because Grande is repeating recurring themes — it’s not the first time she dissects fame, romance, or self-esteem in her music — that it sounds insensitive, tired of treading the same ground. Or maybe it’s because expressing anger in public is a new challenge for her.”
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