Ariana Announces Manchester Benefit

Ariana Grande announced she will return to Manchester, England to perform a benefit concert to aid the families of the victims of the recent terror attack that left 22 dead and more than 60 injured. In a lengthy and heartfelt letter posted to her social media accounts, Grande said, in part, “I have been thinking of my fans and of you all, non-stop over the past week. The way you have handled all of this has been more inspiring and made me more proud than you’ll ever know. The compassion, kindness, love, strength and oneness that you’ve shown one another this past week is the exact opposite of the heinous intentions it must take to pull off something as evil as what happened Monday.” She continued, “We will never be able to understand why events like this take place because it’s not in out nature, which is why we shouldn’t recoil. We will now quit of operate in fear. We won’t let this divide us. We won’t let hate win.”

Grande then announced her plans, saying, “I’ll be returning to the incredibly brave city of Manchester to spend time with my fans and to have a benefit concert in honor of and to raise money for the victims and their families. I want to thank my fellow musicians and friends for reaching out to be part of our expression of love for Manchester. I will have details to share with you as soon as everything is confirmed.”

In closing, Grande wrote, “Music is something that everyone on earth can share. Music is meant to heal us to bring us together, to make us happy. So this is what it will continue to do for us. We will continue to honor the ones we lost, their loved ones, my fans all affected by this tragedy. They will be on my mind and in my heart every day, and I will think of them with everything I do for the rest of my life.”