This is what Ariana Grande’s posted on Twitter in the wake of the terrorist bombing at the Manchester Arena in Manchester.
- “There is nothing I or anyone can do to take away the pain you are feeling, or to make this better. However, I extend my hand and heart and everything I possibly can give to you and yours, should you want or need my help in any way…
- “We will not quit or operate in fear.
- “We won’t let this divide us.
- “We won’t let hate win.”
That was Ariana Grande’s Twitter post in the wake of the terrorist bombing at the Manchester Arena in Manchester. The suicide bomber had attacked her fans, who were leaving the hall, minutes after her concert got over. In the days following, she released ‘Somewhere over the Rainbow’, the ‘Wizard of Oz’ cover, to benefit Manchester bombing victims. And, at the ‘One Love Manchester’ benefit concert, she performed an emotional rendition of the song. The concert featured an all-star line-up, including Coldplay, Justin Bieber, Miley Cyrus and Katy Perry among others; all who joined Grande to honour the victims of the bombing that killed 22 and injured 59 at her concert.
She was on her ‘Dangerous Woman’ tour, but was so traumatised by the turn of events that she was planning on cancelling it. It was, however, her resolve to make things better, in her own musical ways, that saw her gearing stars and her fans to be a part of the Manchester benefit concert.
The concert, held at the Old Trafford cricket ground, just miles from where the attack occurred, was a sold-out event, and helped raise more than $12 million for the ‘We Love Manchester Emergency Fund’. It went on to become the largest live event of the year on television, with an average of 10.9 million people watching it on the BBC in Britain.
Continuing her show of solidarity, Grande along with her crew, got tattoos of the Manchester bee, making it a permanent tribute to the city – bee is a symbol of Manchester’s industrial past.
24-year old Ariana Grande-Butera has been savouring steady success in her long career as an American singer and actress. She began her career in the Broadway musical ‘13’ and followed it up with the role of Cat Valentine in the Nickelodeon television series ‘Victorious’ in 2009. The show ended after four seasons. She then starred in the spinoff, ‘Sam & Cat’, which ended in 2014. She has also appeared in other theatre and television roles, and has lent her voice to animated television and films.
On the musical front, it was the soundtrack of ‘Music from Victorious’ that established her music career. She soon signed a recording contract with Republic Records and released her debut studio album, ‘Yours Truly’, in 2013, which debuted at number one on the US Billboard 200. Her second album ‘My Everything’ also debuted at number one in the US and charted in the top 10 in 24 countries around the world. In 2016, she released her third studio album, ‘Dangerous Woman’, and several songs from the album.
Life has been beautiful and it will continue to be for Grande, who has her heart and mind in the right places. And to prove it, she is quoted to have said, ‘Music is really driving my whole life.’