News : Ariana Grande thanks fans as ‘Petal’ tops the US Billboard chart

Ariana Grande’s latest album ‘Petal’ has reached Number One on the US Billboard albums chart.

Grande’s eighth studio record earned 295,000 equivalent album units, according to Variety. The result gives the singer her strongest US album performance since 2019.

The pop star celebrated the achievement through her Instagram Story, thanking listeners for helping the record reach the top during a week when she revealed plans to retreat from public life. “Thank you from the bottom of my heart,” she wrote beside a heart emoji.

‘Petal’ also secured the top position on the UK albums chart over the weekend.

Grande’s representatives recently announced that she will be “taking a step back from visibility” once her ongoing ‘Eternal Sunshine’ tour comes to an end.

She has also left the forthcoming West End production of Sunday In The Park With George. Grande had been expected to star alongside her Wicked colleague Jonathan Bailey. The production would have marked her first West End appearance when it opened at London’s Barbican Centre next summer.

Ariana Grande ‘Petal’ artwork

During the opening concert of her three performances at Chicago’s United Center last week, Grande paused the show to “clear the air about a few things”.

Addressing concerns from her supporters, 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.”

Explaining why she wanted to address the situation, Grande added: “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.”

Her decision followed another wave of public discussion about her body and appearance. The online attention became more intense after she unveiled the music video for ‘Petal’, the title song from her new record.

Reports also emerged last month claiming that Grande had exited the forthcoming season of American Horror Story because of her touring schedule.

She is still expected to travel to the UK for a 10 night residency at The O2 in London, running from August 15 until September 1. Remaining tickets can be found here.

Awarding ‘Petal’ three and a half stars in its review, 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.”