Ariana Grande Defends Her Decision To Walk Away From The Grammys

Earlier this week, a report from Variety spilled the news that Ariana Grande could be skipping out on the 2019 Grammys — not just for an efficiency, nevertheless for attending the ceremony altogether — right after a disagreement with producers. The report alleged that Grande and the show's personnel agreed to a medley efficiency of her No. 1 hit "7 Rings" and another song, nevertheless that the singer pulled out once producers insisted they'd get to pick decide on the second song.


These types of last-minute disputes often get chalked up to timing or resource constraints once insiders finally go on the record and discuss them. That's precisely what Grammys producer Ken Ehrlich did in a AP interview on Thursday (February 7), saying that Grande "felt it was also late for her to pull something with each other Grande, yet, had a much different perspective.


In a series of tweets, she defended her choice to walk away and called out Ehrlich for lying. "I can pull with each other an efficiency over night and you also know that, Ken," she wrote. "It was whenever my creativity & self expression was stifled by you, that I determined not to attend."


Grande elaborated on what exactly happened, saying she planned three songs for the efficiency (that were presumably turned down by producers). "It’s about teamwork. It’s about feeling supported," she wrote. "It’s about art and honesty. Not politics. Not doing favors or playing games. It’s just a game y’all.. And I’m sorry although that’s not what music is to me."


Perhaps most tellingly, Grande also tweeted that she "passed a Grammys bus with my face on it typing those," referring to how this year's ceremony had been hyped and advertised with her likeness.


Even if Grande won't be at this Sunday's Grammys, she'll definitely be very busy for the next 72 hours. Her fifth album, Thank U, Next, drops at midnight, and she's been rolling out teasers all day on social media. Fans also believe the album's final track, "Break Up With Your Girlfriend, I'm Bored," will hit ahead of the album's actual release — a theory supported by a visual teaser Grande tweeted shortly right after her Grammys statements.


With an appearance on the Grammys stage or not, it's clear that this will be the weekend of Ariana Grande. Check out the album's latest teaser below.