Ariana Grande opened up about the Manchester Arena bombing in a letter shared in her new docu-series.
The popstar had just finished performing in the city for her Dangerous Woman tour in May 2017 when a suicide bomber detonated a homemade explosive device in the arena foyer, killing 22 people.
In the fourth episode of her docu-series, entitled Ariana Grande: Dangerous Woman Diaries, the popstar shares a letter about the attack.
She described the atrocity, which left hundreds injured, as something “that seems impossible to fully recover from”.
The letter said: “I’m writing to you this February 22, 2018. 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.
“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.
“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.”
The docu-series gives fans a behind-the-scenes look at her life on the Dangerous Woman world tour.
It does not include any footage from the Manchester Arena bombing, but does give viewers a look at the One Love Manchester benefit concert Grande organised to raise money for victims and their families.
The letter adds: “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, my team, my dancers, band, and entire crew 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. 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. 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.”
Grande, 25, was physically unharmed in the attack but suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder afterwards.
This month, a major report concluded intelligence services missed potential opportunities to stop terrorist Salman Abedi from carrying out the attack.