Ariana and Selena overworked
In the past month we've seen some early warning signs of work fatigue from Selena Gomez and Ariana Grande, putting them at increased risk of substance abuse and personal health problems.
At the end of 2013 Selena Gomez was forced to cancel several tours due to undisclosed health issues while Ariana Grande went all out with her new album, but recent comments she made on her Twitter account implied a different picture of her physical state. Both young stars worked flat out last year, but in 2014 they've been brought into the spotlight once more, and we only have to look at what's happening to Justin Bieber to forecast potential difficulties down the line for Selena and Ariana.
Ariana Grande admitted on Friday she was at the point of exhaustion to her 12 million fans while she prepares her new studio album: In her own words she tweeted:
sorry I haven't been tweeting much. been working myself to death on this music. exhausted but very excited. workin hard for y'all. love you.
— Ariana Grande (@ArianaGrande) January 24, 2014
Most recently we saw Selena Gomez at the Sundance Film Festival promoting her new movie 'Rudderless', but on Saturday she posted a picture on Instagram taking a break (but with a cigarette in plain view) Immediately fans began to ask "Is she smoking?" Over on Twitter she gave the picture the title "Therapy".
Several magazines have suggested but not confirmed that Selena Gomez and Ariana have "smoked weed" and abused other substances but whether that is true or not doesn't change the fact that they will face a huge amount of media pressure this year.
Justin Bieber is a textbook example of how the pressure of fame has taken its toll and has led him to abuse substances from drugs to alcohol, which threatens the future of his career. His management is worried and so are his supporters. Ariana Grande reached out to him and sent her support. Selena Gomez did the same, but these two young stars are also at risk of spiralling downwards if they work too hard. Who's looking out for them?
Being at the top of the industry comes with its pros and cons. It's clear from my perspective that these young stars all face a lot and are constantly in demand. They have to deliver because so many people depend on them. When it becomes too much, people crack. We all need a break from time to time, and the industry needs re-evaluate the crazy workloads for some of these younger stars. It's simply too much.