Ariana Grande broke down in tears while discussing the Manchester bombing, which she said changed her life.
The 25-year-old singer was left devastated after 22 people were killed at Manchester Arena after her show in May 2017 when a bomb was detonated and over a year later, she still can’t discuss the tragedy without crying.
Speaking to Beats 1 Radio’s Ebro Darden, Ariana – who has just released her new album ‘Sweetener’ – said: "Obviously [if you see it] on the news it affects you but not in the same way. You feel bad, you tweet it, you post a picture, you send your condolences, you say something and move on. But then Christmas comes and you’re thinking about it. It’s like… f**k, I’m so sorry." Ariana then broke down in tears before continuing.
She said: "It’s like people are permanently affected by this shit and it’s just like, perspective. It changes everything, changes your life quite a bit. You want to be more present and follow happy impulses and figure it out later and stay in the moment."
Just weeks after the attack, Ariana returned to the city for the One Love Manchester concert, where she got her famous friends to come together for a massive fundraiser gig and she said she knew she had to set an example for her fans.
She said: "You try not to give into fear because obviously that’s the whole point of being here. That’s the whole point of finishing my tour is to set an example to my fans who are fearless enough to show up to the f**king shows. Like, are you kidding? ‘You want to set the same example and keep going. You want to not be afraid because, of course, that’s what they want if you give them that then they’ve won."
Because of the attack, Ariana has increased her own personal security and has banned fans from bringing large bags to her concerts.
She said: "The truth is that it’s f**king scary going anywhere and you look at places differently and travelling. I don’t like to have security come with me everywhere, I don’t like to do those things, it makes me feel [inhuman] and weird. I don’t like it. I know people are just trying to take care of me but I want to escape with my friends, run around and be free. But you think about it differently when sh*t like that happens.
"I don’t want to have metal detectors at my shows and having people taking tiny ass bags into my shows but, you’d better bring a f**king tiny ass bag, you know what I mean? It’s scary and this is some real sh*t. You don’t want to give in and be afraid but it’s still there."
Ariana Grande’s tears for Manchester
