Ariana Grande to hold benefit concert for Manchester victims
Ariana Grande will return to Manchester to stage a benefit concert for the victims of the terrorist attack at her gig earlier this week.
The 23-year-old singer had just finished performing to 21,000 fans at Manchester Arena when there was an explosion in the foyer of the venue, killing 22 people and injuring over 50, and although the star immediately flew home to the US following the atrocity, she has revealed plans to return to the city to meet those affected and raise funds for the victims and their families.
In a lengthy Twitter post, she said: "My heart, prayers and deepest condolences are with the victims of the Manchester Attack and their loved ones.
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.
"The only thing we can do now is choose how we let this affect us and how we live our lives from here on out.
"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 a part of our expression of love for Manchester. I will have details to share with you as soon as everything is confirmed."
Ariana also called for her fans not to let the terrorists win and she praised the city of Manchester and her fans for how they have reacted to the tragedy.
She wrote: "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 on Monday.
"YOU are the opposite. I am sorry for the pain and fear that you must be feeling and for the trauma that you, too, must be experiencing. We will never be able to understand why events like this take place because it is not in our nature, which is why we shouldn’t recoil. We will not quit or operate in fear. We won’t let this divide us.
"From the day we started putting together the Dangerous Woman tour, I said that this show, more than anything else, was intended to be a safe space for my fans. A place for them to escape, to celebrate, to heal, to feel safe and to be themselves. To meet the friends they’ve made online, to express themselves.
"We will continue in honor of the ones we lost, their loved ones, my fans and all affected by this tragedy.
"They will be on my mind and in my heart everyday and I will think of them with everything I do for the rest of my life. Ari (sic)."
