Ariana Grande has paid tribute to the victims of the Manchester Arena bomb attack on the first anniversary of the atrocity, which took place at the end of one of her concerts in the city.
In a message on social media, the American singer wrote: “Thinking of you all today and every day. I love you with all of me and am sending you all of the light and warmth I have to offer on this challenging day.”
Ariana Grande✔@ArianaGrande
thinking of you all today and every day 
I love you with all of me and am sending you all of the light and warmth I have to offer on this challenging day
On May 22 last year, a terrorist detonated an explosive device as fans were leaving Grande’s concert at the Manchester Arena, killing 22 innocent people and injuring more than 500.
In an interview with Time magazine last week, 24-year-old Grande spoke about her response to the attack and its impact on her music.
“The last thing I would ever want is for my fans to see something like that happen and think it won,” she said.
“Music is supposed to be the safest thing in the world. I think that’s why it’s still so heavy on my heart every single day.”
“I wish there was more that I could fix,” Grande continued. “You think with time it’ll become easier to talk about. Or you’ll make peace with it. But every day I wait for that peace to come and it’s still very painful.”
Following the attack, Grande put on a benefit concert in Manchester for the families of those affected.
More than 50,000 people turned out at the Old Trafford cricket ground just two weeks after the attack to watch stars such as Justin Bieber, Coldplay and Liam Gallagher perform.
Over €2.7 million was raised from the gig and Grande was “moved” after being named an honorary citizen of Manchester.
Grande’s current single, No Tears Left to Cry, is her first since the terrorist attack and alludes to the atrocity. The video pays tribute to the Manchester bombing victims with the image of a bee, a symbol of the city.
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