Ariana Grande Shared the Heartbreaking Letter She Wrote After the Manchester Bombing
Over the past year-and-a-half, Ariana Grande has continued to honor the victims of the 2017 suicide bombing at her concert in Manchester. She does so again in her new Dangerous Woman Diaries docuseries, which features a heartfelt letter she wrote to her fans nine months after the horrific night.
“I’m writing to you this February 22, 2018,” Grande shared in the letter. “Music is an escape. Music is the safest thing I’ve ever known. Music — pop music, stan culture — is something that brings people together, introduces them to some of their best friends, and makes them feel like they can be themselves. It is comfort. It is fun. It is expression. It is happiness. It is the last thing that would ever harm someone. It is safe.”
Grande went on to describe the shock that came with that safe space being violated, and the feeling of never fully being able to recover from such an event. But, she wrote, the aftermath taught her valuable lessons in resilience that she will carry with her every day for the rest of her life.
“The spirit of the people of Manchester, the families affected by this horrendous tragedy, and my fans around the world have permanently impacted all of us for the rest of our lives,” she wrote. “Their love, strength, and unity showed me, my team, my dancers, band, and entire crew not to be defeated. To continue during the scariest and saddest of times. To not let hate win. But instead, love as loudly as possible, and to appreciate every moment.”
Grande followed her own advice in the aftermath of the attack, visiting injured fans in the hospital and putting together massive, star-studded benefit concert just a few weeks later.
In April 2018, she returned with “No Tears Left To Cry,” her first new music since the incident. In the video for the track, she included a touching tribute in the form of a bee —the symbol of Manchester.
What did you think of Ariana’s heartfelt letter? Let us know @BritandCo.
(photo via Getty Images/Dave Hogan for One Love Manchester)