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Ariana Grande is busy preparing for her Sweetener tour, which kicks off in about two weeks on March 18. But before she starts playing stadiums all over the country, she took some time to thank her fans for all of their support during an emotional year.
In a lengthy Instagram post on Saturday night, Grande expressed her gratitude for friends, family, and fans who have stood by her.
“‘Bout to embark on my third tour and am for sure deep as fuck in my feelings and getting my period so…. this is probably gonna be too much,” she wrote. “But I just want to say how grateful I am for my life, for the people in it, for the ups and challenges, for the laughter and the pain, for this music and for the lifelong friendships I’ve made thru making it (that includes my friendship with y’all).”
The singer has had a lot to reckon with recently. She spent a lot of time healing from a terrorist attack that killed multiple fans at her Manchester Arena concert in May 2017. She also ended her short engagement to comedian Pete Davidson, following the death of her ex-boyfriend, rapper Mac Miller. In between, she had to answer to legitimate criticism about how she’s used cultural signifiers in her music, got in a public back-and-forth with the Grammys, and fought/forgave the TV host Piers Morgan. It was a lot, especially in a year in which she released two albums and won her first-ever Grammy.
“I cant really fathom all that has happened over the past few years. I don’t even really know where i’m going with this post but I’m just grateful to be here still. And excited to see you. I’m prolly gonna cry a lot,” she continued. “A few months ago I told my team I wasn’t even in an okay enough place to tour or work at all and my friends, you guys and this music really saved my life and turned everything around.”
Her fans responded with lots of love and support. “I admire you for being such a good, kind, real, positive and very strong person. You’re just perfect,” one fan responded.
Grande was honest about the fact that she’s still working through some difficulties, but her overall message was a testament of how she’s trying to approach the future with a positive outlook.
“I’m still healing but I feel a lot lighter as of late and I think this is really going to be such a beautiful time,” she said.
