By

Olivia Craighead,

a news writer for The Cut who covers pop culture and celebrity.

Previously, she wrote about pop culture and entertainment at Gawker.

Following the announcement that she would be “taking a step back” from public life at the end of her tour, Ariana Grande clarified a few things at her show in Chicago on Monday night. In the middle of the concert, Grande took a few minutes to “clear the air” and let her fans know that her upcoming break was something that had been in the works for a “long time.”