Ariana Grande was 'really really anxious' about trip back to the U.K.: 'This was a huge test'
Ariana Grande has been promoting her new album, Sweetener, in London, and the singer told fans on social media she was “anxious” about her return to the U.K.
This marks Grande’s second trip across the pond since the Manchester Arena bombing, which killed more than 20 people at her concert. The “No More Tears Left to Cry” crooner returned weeks after the May 22, 2017, tragedy to perform at the One Love Manchester benefit concert. While that was a whirlwind jaunt, Grande has been in London for a few days, mostly staying out of the spotlight aside from promotional appearances.
When replying to a fan who asked why there were no candid paparazzi shots of her time in London, Grande shared that she was dealing with anxiety.
She tweeted, “sry i’m really really anxious and really exhausted and jus trying to get thru the trip. hope that’s ok. hope you enjoy the performances. my priority is giving u the best performances i’m capable of. i don’t really care ab having my picture taken. love u.”
Grande added in another message to a fan, “i’m like really trying. it’s jus been a while since i’ve done this or been this far away from home. this was a huge test. so far not so great hehe. but i’ve loved singing for u and seeing ur faces. that part has been nice. thanks for understanding n for loving me.”
The singer, who is known for interacting directly with followers on social media, called her fans the “the kindest human beings on the planet” for respecting her need for personal time: “i’ll always appreciate u n try my best to never let u down thanks for being so gentle n loving w me n always valuing my ‘human’ life as well as my professional one tbh.”
A post shared by Ariana Grande (@arianagrande) on Sep 4, 2018 at 6:36pm PDT
After last year’s bombing, Grande finished her European tour but experienced severe anxiety upon her return home.
“When I got home from tour, I had really wild dizzy spells, this feeling like I couldn’t breathe,” she told Elle in the summer. “I would be in a good mood, fine and happy, and they would hit me out of nowhere. I’ve always had anxiety, but it had never been physical before. There were a couple of months straight where I felt so upside down.”
She credits her fans with helping her return to the stage.
“You hear about these things,” she says. “You see it on the news, you tweet the hashtag. It’s happened before, and it’ll happen again. It makes you sad, you think about it for a little, and then people move on. But experiencing something like that firsthand, you think of everything differently … it’s the most inspiring thing in the world that these kids pack the venue.”
Grande pays tribute to those who lost their lives at her 2017 concert on her new album. “Get Well Soon,” the last song on Sweetener, runs 5 minutes 22 seconds long, a nod to the date of the show, May 22. The track also includes a moment of silence, running the last 40 seconds to the end of the track.
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