Ariana Grande has shed light on how her Wicked role helped facilitate “healing” in her relationship to touring.
- READ MORE: ‘Wicked: For Good’ review: an emotional but awkward return to Oz
Grande’s last musical output was her March 2024 album ‘Eternal Sunshine’, an expanded deluxe version of which she shared earlier this year, complete with six new tracks. She’s set to take it on tour next summer, marking her first live run in six years.
Ariana’s last tour concluded in 2019, and between then and now, she’s performed live only a handful of times, mainly at non-profit events and award shows. Ahead of next year’s trek, she opened up about her evolving relationship with live music and said playing Glinda had impacted it.
“I spent a lot of time redoing my system when it comes to making music,” she told Interview Magazine. “With ‘Eternal Sunshine’, that felt like a very different experience for me.
“I think the time away from it helped me reclaim certain pieces of it and put certain feelings that maybe belonged to my relationship to fame, or the things that come with being an artist, in a box somewhere else, and say, ‘Okay. I don’t have to let go of this thing that I love. I can just put those things over here, and not lose sight of my gifts.’”
She added that working on Wicked improved her confidence in herself, adding: “I’ve just been taking baby steps towards healing my relationship to music and touring, and I think my time with Glinda and with acting really helped me build the strength to be able to do that.
“I think it just held some traumas for me before, and I feel those dissipating, and that is such an extraordinarily beautiful thing.”
Back in September, Grande’s fans took to social media in disbelief after hundreds of thousands were left queuing for tickets for her upcoming London dates, with more shows now added following the demand. You can find tickets here, and find a list of dates below.
Ariana Grande’s ‘The Eternal Sunshine’ 2026 tour dates are:
JUNE
6 – Oakland, CA @ Oakland Arena
9 – Oakland, CA @ Oakland Arena
13 – Los Angeles, CA @ Crypto.com Arena
14 – Los Angeles, CA @ Crypto.com Arena
17 – Los Angeles, CA @ Kia Forum
19 – Los Angeles, CA @ Kia Forum
24 – Austin, TX @ Moody Center
26 – Austin, TX @ Moody Center
30 – Sunrise, FL @ Amerant Bank Arena
JULY
2 – Sunrise, FL @ Amerant Bank Arena
6 – Atlanta, GA @ State Farm Arena
8 – Atlanta, GA @ State Farm Arena
12 – Brooklyn, NY @ Barclays Center
13 – Brooklyn, NY @ Barclays Center
16 – Brooklyn, NY @ Barclays Center
18 – Brooklyn, NY @ Barclays Center
22 – Boston, MA @ TD Garden
24 – Boston, MA @ TD Garden
28 – Montreal, QC @ Bell Centre
30 – Montreal, QC @ Bell Centre
AUGUST
3 – Chicago, IL @ United Center
5 – Chicago, IL @ United Center
15 – London, UK @ The O2
16 – London, UK @ The O2
19 – London, UK @ The O2
20 – London, UK @ The O2
23 – London, UK @ The O2
NEW DATES:
AUGUST
24 – London, UK @ The O2
27 – London, UK @ The O2
28 – London, UK @ The O2
31 – London, UK @ The O2
September
1 – London, UK @ The O2
Elsewhere, scrutiny from the current Wicked: For Good press tour has pushed Grande to give fans a “friendly reminder” not to comment on her body in a new social media post. It follows she and Erivo recently sharing emotional farewells to their respective Wicked characters on Instagram.
Wicked: For Good has scored a three-star review from NME, with Nick Levine writing: “The one truly showstopping moment is Elphaba and Glinda’s climactic rendition of ‘For Good’, a big, blustery show tune that sums up their entire relationship. Wicked: For Good doesn’t defy gravity like its predecessor but fans will want to hold space for a sequel with a very poignant payoff.”
