Ariana Grande

Ariana Grande fans expressed concern for the singer after she broke down in tears while singing “R.E.M.” during a July 6 concert in St. Louis, Missouri. Clips of the performance made the rounds on Twitter and Instagram, then went viral following the concert.

One clip posted by Twitter user @thnkusabrina quickly gathered more than 5,700 retweets and 46,000 likes following the incident. Clips also appeared on YouTube and other video-sharing sites, showing St. Louis fans loudly singing “R.E.M.” when it became apparent that Grande couldn’t continue the song.

“This makes me so sad,” YouTube user Vinnie Rivera wrote in his description of one video. “I have no Intentions of hurting her by posting this video. I love u Ari.”

“R.E.M.” appears on Grande’s album Sweetener, and many fans believe the lyrics reference her relationship with her then-fiancé, SNL star Pete Davidson. Some of the lyrics: “But I just want to stand and yell / I will never dare to tell / Think I heard some wedding bells / Shh, keep it to yourself.”

Shortly before releasing the song, Grande tweeted that the lyrics are about “dreaming someone into your life (which actually happened way after we made the song, which is so [very] strange.” That certainly sounds like she’s referring to Davidson. Unfortunately, Grande and Davidson split a few months after “R.E.M.” was released.

In an Instagram post after her onstage breakdown, Grande thanked fans for expressing their concern.

“tour is wild. life is wild,” she wrote. “i’m grateful for the sea of love i have around me everyday and for the people who come to these shows and give all of us every ounce of energy they’ve got. i’m grateful to work with the best musicians and dancers in the world. i’m grateful for my voice and my team. i’m grateful for this music. i’m grateful for my tour bus driver, Kurt who bought me pickles yesterday because he saw we ran out.”

“I feel everything very intensely and have committed to doing this tour during a time in my life when i’m still processing a lot … so sometimes i cry a lot!” she continued. “i thank you for accepting my humanness. i’m not sure what i did to deserve to meet so many loving souls every night / to feel so much love, but i want you to know that it really does carry me through. i feel it and i appreciate it. and all of you so much.”

She finished her statement by asking her fans to stay strong.

“I want you to know that if you too are hurting, you can push through and are not alone,” she wrote. “it is hard to balance taking care of the people around you, doing your job, and healing / taking care of yourself at the same time... but i want you to know, you aren’t alone and i think you’re doing great. love you.”