Ariana Grande Breaks Down During Interview, ‘Permanently Affected’ By Manchester Bombing

As those who follow her music know, Ariana Grande’s album Sweetener dropped yesterday. In celebration of her new album’s release, the 25-year-old singer sat down with with Ebro Darden on Beats 1 Radio for an interview.

While it has been 15 months since 22 people were killed by a suicide bomber during Ariana’s concert in Manchester, it still affects the young singer as if it happened just yesterday. During one interview clip hosted on YouTube – which can be viewed in the video clip at the top of the article – Ariana opened up about her current mental health and the connection her latest album has with the bombing.

During the interview, Grande broke down while trying to explain to Ebro the impact the bombing had on her life.

Struggling to control her emotions and her tears, Ariana explained she – as well as lot of other people – were dealing with all types of mental issues beyond the bombing. The young singer explained mental health was something important that many people took for granted because they were so busy living their lives. She said her song “Sweetener” was a chance to give everyone the “musical hug” they needed to get through the day.

Grande did reveal she was heavily affected by the Manchester bombing even after so much time had passed.

“People are permanently affected by this s*** and it’s just like, perspective. It changes everything, changes your life quite a bit.”

Wiping her tears with the sleeve of her oversized sweatshirt as she tried to stifle her sobs, Ariana apologized to the DJ on several different occasions during the interview for not being able to hold her emotions together.

Grande also admitted that she tried not to “give into fear” following the Manchester bombing, but she’d be lying if she didn’t admit the attack left her feeling afraid.

The singer opened up about how she didn’t want to live a life where she had to travel with bodyguards there for her protection. She wanted to be free to run around with her friends without the need for a babysitter.

She also didn’t like the idea of requiring her fans to only bring small bags and walk through metal detectors to enter her concerts. She, however, accepted the fact that these changes became necessary to keep everyone safe after what happened.

The young singer also admitted to admiring her fans for being “fearless” enough to continue to show up to her performances after the attack.

As those who followed what happened know, Ariana teamed up with Justin Bieber, Miley Cyrus, and Liam Gallagher to perform a concert as a tribute to the victims of the bombing just one month after it happened. Many of Ariana’s fans praise the singer for her courage to get back on stage and perform again so soon after the bombing.

In addition to continuing to push forward with her professional career, Ariana finds time to see professionals and participate in therapy to preserve her mental health after the bombing.