Ariana Grande Tearfully Opens Up About Her New Song Inspired by the Manchester Concert Attack
Ariana Grande has been sharing all the stories behind her new album, Sweetener, which dropped on Friday—and there's one song in particular that strikes an emotional chord with her. "get well soon", the album's final track, is in part an ode to the 22 victims of the 2017 terrorist attack that took place after one of her concerts in Manchester, England. On Friday, Grande listened to the song on Beats 1 radio with Ebro Darden and tearfully recounted the inspiration behind it.
"It's just about just being there for each and helping each other through scary times and anxiety," Grande said as she became more and more emotional. "There's some dark shit out there, man, and we just have to be there for each other as much as we can because you never fucking know. I just wanted to do something to make people feel good and less alone."
"Obviously [if you see it] on the news it affects you but not in the same way. You feel bad, you tweet it, you post a picture, you send your condolences, you say something and move on," Grande said on the show, then continued: "It’s like people are permanently affected by this shit and it’s just like, perspective. It changes everything, changes your life quite a bit. You want to be more present and follow happy impulses and figure it out later and stay in the moment."
Grande, who organized a benefit concert for the victims after the attack, has opened up about the experience in the past, explaining what a toll it took on her mental health. "I don’t think I’ve been through anything as traumatic as [what] we’ve been through," she said in an interview with Coveteur.
But "get well soon" isn't strictly about Manchester. It also tackles dealing with mental health and anxiety, Grande said on Beats 1. "It's not just about that. It's also about personal demons and anxiety, and more intimate tragedies, as well. Mental health is so important. People don't pay enough mind to it." she said, adding that people are often moving so fast in their lives they don't pay attention to "what's happening inside."
"That's why I felt like it was important," Grande said through tears. "I just wanted to give people a hug, musically and I feel like the lyrics can be kind of corny when I talk about wanting to hug you, but I do. People gotta be nicer."
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