Ariana Grande has spoken publicly for the first time since her team announced she would step back from public visibility once her Eternal Sunshine Tour concludes. Performing in Chicago on Monday evening, the pop star told fans the decision was "not reactive or impulsive" but something she had planned quietly for a long time, insisting it stemmed from a desire to set boundaries rather than from negative reaction to public scrutiny.

Grande's representative had earlier told People magazine the singer was taking a "well-earned break" after "endless, ongoing public scrutiny" of her appearance and health. Her current tour ends on 1 September following a 10-night run in London, which she described as one of the most healing experiences of her life. The break also means she will withdraw from a planned Barbican production of Sunday in the Park with George alongside Wicked co-star Jonathan Bailey, with the venue saying it hopes to welcome her "when the time is right".