Ariana Grande‘s new album ‘Petal’ has topped the US Billboard albums chart.
Her eighth studio LP shifted 295,000 equivalent album units according to Variety, marking her most successful album in America since 2019.
The pop star took to her Instagram Story to hail her fans for helping her reach the summit after a week in which it was announced that she would withdrawing from the public eye. “Thank you from the bottom of my heart,” she wrote, along with a heart emoji.
Her album also topped the UK albums chart over the weekend.
The pop star’s representatives confirmed earlier this month that she would be “taking a step back from visibility” following her current ‘Eternal Sunshine’ tour.
She also withdrew from the upcoming West End revival of Sunday In The Park With George, in which she had been due to appear alongside her Wicked co-star Jonathan Bailey. It would have been her West End debut at London’s Barbican Centre, starting next summer.
During the first of her three shows at Chicago’s United Center last week, Grande took a moment to “clear the air about a few things”.
She said: “I heard that my fans were worried that negativity was ruining things for me, but I just have to say that could not be more the far opposite. This is not what that is. And I just want to be very, very clear: multiple things can be true at the same time.
“Boundaries need to be set, human beings can need a break sometimes and also, this can be and will continue to be the greatest experience of my professional and creative life.”
Elaborating on her reasons for speaking out, Grande shared: “I needed to get out here and differentiate that from my truth for all of you because I love you and this tour has been the most healing, beautiful, corrective, magnificent, special experience of my life.”
The decision came after renewed public commentary surrounding Grande’s body and appearance, which intensified online after she recently released the video for ‘Petal’, the title track from her new album.
Last month, it was reported that Grande had also pulled out of the new season of American Horror Story due to touring commitments.
But she is still due to head to the UK for a 10-night residency at The O2 in London between August 15 and September 1. Find any remaining tickets here.
In a three-and-a-half-star review of ‘Petal’, NME wrote: “Rather than turning heartache into collective joy and wonder – which has always been her greatest strength – ‘Petal’ pulls inward, beseeching the listener to hold empathy for her experiences, even as she reportedly looks to step back from public life following the ‘Eternal Sunshine’ tour.”
