The star told fans at her Chicago show on Monday that "boundaries need to be set".

Pop star Ariana Grande has spoken out for the first time since her publicist announced over the weekend that she would be "taking a step back from visibility" once her current tour ends next month. Grande returned to the stage on Monday evening in Chicago for another stop on her Eternal Sunshine Tour, telling fans, external: "The announcement that was made yesterday was not a reactive or impulsive thing. It is something that I had decided to plan... quietly, a long time ago." Speaking at the first of a three-night run at the city's United Center, Grande said: "I heard my fans were worried negativity was ruining things for me but... that could not be more than the opposite. Reading from some notes she said she had made as "she didn't want to get nervous and forget", Grande said the "decision was made from a thoughtful and empowered place." A representative for the US actress and singer told People magazine on Monday that the star would be taking a "well-earned break" after her appearances led to "endless, ongoing public scrutiny". The actress and singer told the audience on Monday that she wanted to speak directly to her fans because "sometimes when a story comes out that isn't directly from me, it can get a little blown out of proportion." She added: "No matter what noises exist out there, nothing will be able to distort my reality or be more real to me or not as real to me as this love that we share." The Petal singer said that her current tour, which concludes on 1 September following a 10-night run in London, had been "one of the most healing, beautiful, correct and special experiences" of her life.