THE RUNDOWNLast night, Ariana Grande discussed her plans to take a break from the public eye once her Eternal Sunshine Tour ends.Speaking at her Chicago concert, she debunked fans’ concerns that recent online comments inspired her decision, explaining that she made the choice “a long time ago” and “from a thoughtful and empowered place.”Her rep announced the plans on Sunday, and Grande sought to “clear the air about a few things” in her remarks.On Sunday, Ariana Grande’s rep announced the singer would be “taking a much-deserved break from public-facing work and appearances from the public eye” after she finishes her Eternal Sunshine Tour on September 1. Grande addressed the news in a speech to fans at her Chicago concert last night, explaining the break was long planned and that the tour has been “the most healing, beautiful, corrective, magnificent, special experience of my life.”At the same time, “boundaries can need to be set,” she said. “Human beings can need a break sometimes.” (Grande’s schedule has been nonstop for the past few years, with the star filming both parts of Wicked, promoting the movies, shooting Focker-in-Law, releasing two albums—Eternal Sunshine and Petal—and beginning her tour.)Grande debunked fans’ concerns that online comments shaped her decision, saying it was “not a reactive or impulsive thing. It is something that I have decided; it’s a plan that I had quietly made a long time ago, and it’s a decision that was made from a thoughtful and empowered place.”She stressed at the close of her remarks that “No matter what noises exist out there, nothing will ever be able to distort my reality or be more real to me or louder to me than this love that we share in this room.”She added, “I love you, and this is what I will always take with me and carry with me because the rest of that shit is not mine to carry, so I don’t carry it.”Read and watch her full speech below:View full post on InstagramSometimes 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. It means a lot to me to let you know how I’m feeling and not let the world decide and project. I would just like to clear the air about a few things if that’s okay.So basically, the announcement that was made yesterday was not a reactive or impulsive thing. It is something that I have decided; it’s a plan that I had quietly made a long time ago, and it’s 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. I want to share this because 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 fuck opposite.I promise you, this is not what that is. And I just want to be very, very clear. Nothing has been ruined. Multiple things can be true at the same time. Yes. 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 and creative life. Nothing is getting in the way of that or will get in the way of that. So, I just wanted to make that quite plain.I have one more thing to say! No matter what noises exist out there, nothing will ever be able to distort my reality or be more real to me or louder to me than this love that we share in this room. Or how it feels to make art with the people that I love and respect. Absolutely nothing will change that or distort that for me.I love you, and this is what I will always take with me and carry with me because the rest of that shit is not mine to carry, so I don’t carry it. I needed to get out here and differentiate that from my truth for you all because I love you, and this tour has been the most healing, beautiful, corrective, magnificent, special experience of my life. And so has putting out Petal. It’s been extraordinary, and I just needed you to know. Yeah, that felt good. Thank you very much. I wish that words were enough to articulate just how much I love you all and how much you mean to me.On Sunday, Grande’s rep gave the following statement to People about the star’s break:Ariana will be taking a step back from visibility after she completes the Eternal Sunshine Tour. 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. This tour has been a beautiful experience for her. She loves her fans and has loved every minute of this tour so much.