Ariana Grande reveals she was sick with bronchitis for nearly half of her Sweetener World Tour

Ariana Grande had to fight through a nasty bout of bronchitis for nearly half of the Sweetener World Tour.

The star slipped into a musical zone a few years ago, when she had a prolific output of new music, resulting in the release two new studio albums in a six-month period, beginning in August 2018.

She would end up going out on the road for nearly 10 months in support of her fourth and fifth studio albums, Sweetener (2018) and Thank U, Next (2019) in 2019.

But tour was tough for the songstress, who just revealed she was ill for four whole months during tour.

‘I was sick for four out of 10 months on the Sweetener Tour, thankfully I only had to cancel one show or two…’ Grande confessed during an appearance on the Backstage Pass With Eric Vetro podcast.

Vetro has been Grande’s friend and vocal coach for over 13 years.

A persistent cough, shortness of breath, wheezing, a low fever, and chest tightness are the most common symptoms of bronchitis. 

And to think Grande had to deal with those limitations, on a daily basis, to her delicate instrument: her singing voice.

The Sweetener World Tour began on March 18 with a concert at the Times Union Center in Albany, New York.

Her and her team traveled around the US and Canada until August 4, and then took the show to Europe for a stretch that went through October 16, and began and ended with shows at the O2 Arena in London, England.

The last couple of months of the tour were spent zig-zagging around the US again,  until the final show on December 22 at the Forum in Los Angeles.

In all, the 28-year-old singer played to over 1.3 million fans across 97 concerts, all the while cameras captured her performances, as well as the action backstage, for her tour film, Excuse Me, I Love You (2020), which she described as a ‘love letter’ to her fans.

While talking with Vitro, whose a vocal coach to the stars, the 7 Rings star also discussed her vocal range and how Broadway influences her music.     

‘There’s a humungous difference,’ Grande said, when describing the techniques of show tunes and pop music, before adding, ‘You use a totally different part of you voice for each.’

She continued, ‘I would never sing a Broadway song with my pop placement. But, you know, I grew up singing theater so, of course, that’s where my heart is. I wish I got to do more of it. I wish I could go be on Broadway. I wish I could go sing more musical songs.’

The Florida native went on to share that ‘the most easiest, the most fun, soaring, freeing, beautiful feeling ever is singing show tunes. That to me is my heaven.’

‘But, of course, you can’t use that placement on a pop song either, you know what I mean?’ she added, before bursting out with a few power singing phrases in a show tune style.

Most Broadway songs have longer sustained notes and higher singing keys than what is used in the typical pop songs. In order to sing them well, singers have to build up their lung capacity and breath support so they can hold those longer notes

Also Broadway songs usually have wider pitch range, so singers need to do vocal exercises and learn techniques that will increase their range.

Vetro has worked with Grande as her vocal coach, and friend, since she was a teenager.

‘There are no words to describe what a gift of a human being this man is! He has been by my side every step of the way and believed in and encouraged me, my voice, my heart, my music, my ideas since I was 15,’ she revealed when promoting her guest spot on his podcast on Instagram.