Ariana Grande to Film London Tour Shows for New Concert Special, Source Claims

Ariana Grande is said to be set to turn her upcoming London residency into a concert special, with sources exclusively telling OK! cameras expected to capture her Eternal Sunshine shows before she steps away from the spotlight.

The 33-year-old singer begins a 10-date run at London's O2 Arena on August 15 as part of her Eternal Sunshine tour, and plans are understood to be in place to record the performances for a streaming special.

The project would preserve Grande's return to touring before she takes a planned break from public-facing work following the tour.

A source said: "Ariana has had an extraordinary amount of attention on her throughout this tour, both professionally and personally, but getting back in front of an audience and reconnecting with her fans through the music has been incredibly important to her. She has genuinely loved performing again, and the London residency feels like one of the defining parts of the entire Eternal Sunshine run. That's why there is a real desire to capture those shows properly rather than simply allowing the moment to come and go."

"Touring on this scale takes an enormous amount of time, energy and commitment, and Ariana has already made it clear that she intends to take a significant step back once these dates are finished. Nobody is expecting her to announce another major tour anytime soon, so recording the London performances would allow this chapter of her career to live on long after the final show," they added.

"The thinking is that a concert special would be a celebration of everything Ariana and her team have created with Eternal Sunshine, but it would also be something she can give directly to the fans who have supported her throughout the tour. They would still have this experience to watch and revisit while she takes the time away from public life that she has decided she needs. Ariana knows there will inevitably be disappointment from fans when she becomes less visible, particularly after they have had this period of seeing her performing regularly again. Having the tour preserved in this way would make the London shows feel even more significant and give her the opportunity to close this era on her own terms before stepping away from the spotlight," they concluded.

Grande recently announced she would reduce her public profile once the tour ends, and interrupted a concert in Chicago last week to insist the decision had been made well before recent online discussion surrounding her appearance.

Addressing the audience during a four-minute speech, Grande said: "Can we get a little real tonight? The announcement that was made yesterday was not a reactive or impulsive thing. It is something that I had decided to plan. It was a thoughtful decision. It was an empowering decision. I made it quietly, a long time ago."

Grande also rejected suggestions that social media commentary about her body prompted the decision.

She said: "No matter what noises exist out there, nothing will be able to distort my reality or be more real to me… as this love that we share."

Grande described the tour as "one of the most healing, beautiful, correct and special experiences" she has ever had.

She added: "That felt good. I wish that words were enough to articulate how much I love you."

Her representatives previously said: "She looks forward to finishing the tour and ending it on a high note, both healthily and happily, and then taking a much-deserved break from public-facing work and appearances, which has led to endless, ongoing public scrutiny."

The announcement followed Grande's withdrawal from the West End revival of Stephen Sondheim's Sunday in the Park with George, where she had been due to appear alongside her Wicked costar Jonathan Bailey.

Grande rose to international prominence in Nickelodeon's Victorious before establishing a pop career with songs including "Thank U, Next," "7 Rings," "No Tears Left to Cry" and "We Can't Be Friends (Wait for Your Love)."

She has more recently returned to acting as Glinda in Wicked, balancing the film franchise with the release of her Eternal Sunshine album and subsequent tour.