Ariana Grande Opened Up About Her Anxiety Ahead of A Decision To Cancel Meet-And-Greets

Ariana Grande has always spoken candidly about her mental health, and her message to fans on Saturday was no exception. Following the decision to cancel a backstage meet-and-greet in Antwerp last week, Ariana posted to Instagram after deciding it was ‘time for some honesty’ to say ‘I have been giving you all I’ve got and trying to push through as hard as I can and mask it. Today has been an extra rough one.’

She explained that ‘My depression and anxiety have been at an all-time high lately’. The post continued, addressing her decision to pull out of the Amsterdam pre-show event: ‘I don’t want to rush through our time together or seem shaky. I like spending actual time with you and I won’t be able to be present or give you the best of me today.’

Now, four days later, it’s been announced that Ariana has since cancelled all meet-and-greets for the European leg of her Sweetener tour. A statement from Live Nation explained that ‘something [had] to give to allow her to continue giving 100% to her performances’ – and when you consider that the tour started in March, and will count more than 100 shows by the time it wraps in December, that’s hardly surprising.

Informing fans that Ariana needed rest to preserve her ‘voice and energy’, Live Nation apologised and assured them of partial refunds for all meet-and-greet tickets. Explaining that, ‘thanks to increased demand, Ariana is thrilled and humbled to have been able to add extra shows to the tour for her fans’, the statement made clear that ‘It's not something she takes for granted.’ The message went on, though, to qualify that 'these extra months on the road […] are not only exhilarating but exhausting.'

Live Nation concluded by acknowledging the emotional toll of the decision to cancel all meet-and-greets on Ariana, noting that it '[did] not come easily and the last thing she would ever want to do is disappoint fans.’ As Ariana explained in her Saturday Insta post, ‘I wish I could control these attacks but as anyone with anxiety or depression understands, sometimes you can only operate on its terms and not your own.’ Sometimes, the bravest thing to do is look after yourself.

Ariana’s frankness about her mental health is refreshing – not to mention inspiring to millions of her fans, who can look to their idol and feel reassured that they aren’t alone in their struggles. As the world at large begins to open up about psychological problems as well as physical ailments, announcements like Ariana’s set the standard for openness and compassion. Rest up, Ari, and go gently.

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