Ariana Grande has admitted she found her return to the London stage “overwhelming”.
The singer, 33, made the remark on Saturday (15.08.26) as she started her final 10 concerts in the capital as she prepares to step away from public life indefinitely.
Ariana received a deafening welcome at the O2 Arena as the Eternal Sunshine Tour reached its final stop, two weeks after she told fans at a Chicago concert that she planned to take a break after years of near-continuous work.
She has spent recent years filming and promoting both Wicked movies, recording albums Eternal Sunshine and Petal, working on Focker-in-Law and touring.
Taking in the reception at the O2, Ariana said: “Hi London. Oh this is so overwhelming. Holy s***. Every single show that we do, it gets louder. But this by the far the loudest.”
She added: “There’s so much in this room right now. I’m just so grateful to be doing this with you all. I love you so much. As you know, London is our final stop on this tour. I want to say, I’m going to savour every single second of these last 10 shows with you guys, and this is one of my favourite places in the world.”
The former Nickelodeon star, who rose to fame playing Cat Valentine in Victorious and Sam and Cat before becoming one of the world’s biggest pop stars, opened with Yes, And? wearing a black lace corset dress and thigh-high Christian Louboutin boots.
During The Boy Is Mine, Ariana appeared in a cat mask with a whip, before later changing into a pink ballerina-style Alexander McQueen outfit.
London has particular significance for Ariana after she lived in Britain while filming Wicked.
She told the audience: “I wrote a song about a pub in Hampstead. I lived here for a while, so you always have a special place in my heart.”
Ariana added: “I just wanted to say before I sing it, thank you to my fans for being the most incredible, loving humans on this earth. We’ve been connected over the last 15 years. Thank you for being such a beautiful presence in my life. I love you so much.”
Ariana starred as Glinda opposite Cynthia Erivo as Elphaba and Jonathan Bailey as Fiyero in the Wicked films, having previously described Glinda as her dream role.
Her performance in the first movie earned her an Oscar nomination for best supporting actress.
Ariana’s decision to retreat from public life follows renewed scrutiny surrounding her appearance after the release of the Petal music video.
She has previously addressed public discussion of her body, saying in 2023: “I think we should be gentler and less comfortable commenting on people’s bodies.”
Her spokesman subsequently said Ariana would “be taking a step back from visibility after she completes the Eternal Sunshine Tour”, adding she looked forward to “taking a much-deserved break from public-facing work and appearances, which has led to endless, ongoing public scrutiny”.
The hiatus has affected other projects, including her planned appearance alongside Jonathan in Stephen Sondheim’s Sunday in the Park with George at London’s Barbican.
Ariana is also appearing in Focker-in-Law alongside Ben Stiller, Robert De Niro and Owen Wilson, although her planned commitments to promote the latest Meet the Parents movie in November have reportedly been cancelled.
Her London concerts are being staged under heightened security, nine years after the Manchester Arena bombing following her concert killed 22 people.
Ariana later said the attack left her “broken” and subsequently organised the One Love Manchester benefit concert for victims and their families.
Filming notices displayed at the O2 stated that the London performance would be professionally recorded, amid speculation the final chapter of the tour could eventually be released as a concert film.
