During a spectacular performance at London’s O2 Arena, Ariana Grande surprised her fans by inviting her Wicked co-star Cynthia Erivo to the stage. The duo delivered a heartfelt rendition of “For Good,” the titular song from last year’s sequel film Wicked: For Good, where Grande and Erivo reprised their beloved roles as Glinda and Elphaba. The evening was further enlivened by their duet on a medley of classics “Get Happy” and “Happy Days Are Here Again,” showcasing the electric chemistry between the two stars.
Grande is currently in the midst of her Eternal Sunshine Tour, which features ten shows at the O2 Arena, concluding with a final performance on September 1. Earlier this month, however, the pop sensation announced that she would be stepping back from public life following this tour. As part of her decision, Grande has also withdrawn from a London West End revival of Stephen Sondheim’s Sunday in the Park With George, which would have reunited her with Wicked co-star Jonathan Bailey.
Amid increasing concerns regarding her physical and mental well-being, a representative for Grande commented via People: “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.”
Following this statement, Grande reassured her audience during a performance in Chicago that her announcement was not a hasty decision. “It was something that I have decided,” she stated. “A plan that I had quietly made a long time ago. It was a decision that was made from a thoughtful and empowered place.”
Addressing concerns from her fans, Grande added, “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 far opposite. This is not what that is. And I just want to be very, very clear, multiple things can be true at the same time: boundaries 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.”
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Earlier this year, Grande released her latest album, Petal, describing it as “a little feral.” She explained that the material was inspired by a raw, unfiltered place of emotion. In a review of the album, Rolling Stone’s Rob Sheffield observed, “That rage is all over Petal. But it suits her musically, because Ariana is always best—most herself—when she goes off the dome, talking her shit in DGAF mode.”
