Ariana Grande has posted a lengthy Instagram Story in which she reflects on 2023 — a year which saw her film Wicked, celebrate the 10th anniversary of her debut album, split with her husband and find new love with her co-star, Ethan Slater.
“One of the most transformative, most challenging, and yet happiest and most special years of my life,” she wrote. “There were so many beautiful yet polarized feelings. I’ve never felt more at the mercy of and in acceptance of what life was screaming to teach me. I’ve never felt more fulfilled by or present in my work, being able to cherish every moment.”
However, she noted, “I’ve never felt more pride or joy or love while simultaneously feeling so deeply misunderstood by people who don’t know me, who piece whispers together and make what they want out of me and their assumptions of my life.”
“I have learned how much more important one of those things is than the other,” she added. “I have never felt more tightly held or fiercely protected by those who love and understand me (friends, family, and fans alike).”
“I am reacting to things that deserve my energy only and removing and protecting myself from things that do not,” she continued. “I feel more human than ever, I feel more deeply than ever. I feel softer and stronger, all at once.”
“I am wrapping you all in a cocoon of love and wishing you a very happy, healthy new year,” she concluded, advising fans who might “feel misunderstood and alone” to “take a deep breath and know that you are so incredibly loved.”
“I cannot wait for next year. :)” she wrote.
Ariana has previously teased that she’ll have new music for us in 2024.
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