Ariana Grande shares letter to fans about Manchester bombing
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Nearly a year-and-a-half after the suicide bombing on her Manchester concert, Ariana Grande is opening up about the attack.
During the fourth episode of Grande’s YouTube docuseries "Dangerous Woman Diaries," which aired Thursday, Grande shared a letter she wrote to her fans following the traumatic event that took 22 lives and left hundreds injured.
"It's been eight months since the attack at our show at the Manchester Arena. It's impossible to know where to start or to know what to say about this part. May 22, 2017, will leave me speechless and filled with questions for the rest of my life," she began the letter.
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"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."
The "God Is a Woman" songstress, 25, detailed how the event would not only change her life but would also teach her strength in the face of hardship.
"When something so opposite and so poisonous takes place in your world that is supposed to be everything but that … it is shocking and heartbreaking in a way that seems impossible to fully recover from," she continued. "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. Their love, strength, and unity showed me … 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."
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Though Grande didn't know initially if she could ever sing again, she went on to co-organize and perform in a benefit concert for Manchester just two weeks later.
"The people of Manchester were able to change an event that portrayed the worst of humanity into one that portrayed the most beautiful of humanity," she added. "'Like a handprint on my heart' … I think of Manchester constantly and will carry this with me every day for the rest of my life."
This article originally appeared on Page Six.