Washington: American singer Ariana Grande returned to Manchester recently to perform at the Pride Festival after the 2017 bombing at her concert.
The 26-year-old songstress headlined Manchester Pride Festival on Sunday, marking her first performance in the city in two years, reported People.
On May 22, 2017, a terrorist bombing killed 22 and injured more than 250 people at the singer’s city concert. Less than a month later, she returned to Manchester to host a benefit concert, with the profit of the show going towards victims and families that were impacted by the attack.
During her performance, the Grammy-award winning star performed many of her hits including ‘7 Rings’, ‘One Last Time’, ‘Break Free’, ‘Side to Side’, ‘Be Alright’ and ‘No Tears Left to Cry’.
Before her show, Grande, who has a very special bond with the city, shared that all her fans in Manchester are “my heart in every way.”
“On our way to Manchester pride, love u so much. Can’t wait to give u all our love. You’re my heart in every way. see u soon,” she tweeted on Sunday.
Ahead of the show, Grande was called out by some Twitter users, who accused the singer of exploiting the LGBTQ community.
“Idk Ariana headlining pride when she’s straight (as far as we’re all aware) and doubling the price of tickets kinda smells like exploitation of the LGBT community to me,” one user tweeted.
“I have nothing to do with ticket pricing — manchester pride sets those rates, and they’re mostly out of my control,” Grande wrote days later, noting that “the LGBTQ community has been so special to me and supportive throughout my career.”
“The relationships I have with LGBTQ fans, friends, and family make me so happy. I want to celebrate and support this community regardless of my identity or how people label me. And also I wanna visit a city that means so much to me,” Grande added.
In 2018, after releasing the single ‘No Tears Left to Cry’, the first song off her album ‘Sweetener’, Grande admitted that she was still finding her footing after the tragedy.
“May 22, 2017, will leave me speechless and filled with questions for the rest of my life,” she said in a letter to fans shared in November.
Grande went on to explain that the tragedy taught her resilience and also that one should not take life for granted.
“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,” she added.