Watch : Ariana Grande Breaks Her Silence on Stepping Back From the Public Eye After TourAriana Grande is saying thank u, next to her latest chapter. After the “Thank U, Next” hitmaker’s rep shared that she’ll be taking time away from the public eye following the final stop in her Eternal Sunshine Tour Sept. 1, Grande spoke out about the time off. “The announcement that was made yesterday was not a reactive or impulsive thing,” Grande said at her Chicago concert Aug. 3. "It is something that I had decided to plan, that I had quietly made a long time ago.” Following online scrutiny, Grande denied that "negativity was ruining things" for her, and explained she made the decision from a "thoughtful and empowered place."