Ariana Grande "Was Suffering From Trauma" After Manchester Bombing

Scooter Braun, the singer's manager, spoke about the attack in a recent interview for the podcast Big Questions With Cal Fussman

By Elyse Dupre Feb 09, 2018 8:58 PMTags
 One Love Manchester benefit concert, Ariana GrandeKevin Mazur/Getty Images for One Love Manchester

Ariana Grande "was suffering from trauma" after the horrific Manchester bombing

The 24-year-old singer's manager Scooter Braun detailed how the tragic incident affected the singer in a Jan. 30 interview for the podcast Big Questions With Cal Fussman

After the terror attack, which killed 22 people, Grande wasn't sure she could ever sing her songs again. 

"When she found out fans of hers had died, she was so sad," Braun recalled. "I mean, she cried for days. There was nothing that could stop us. She felt every pain. Every face that they announced, every name—she wore it on her sleeve, like every bit of emotion, because that's who she is."

Braun said he went through the process of cancelling the rest of her Dangerous Woman tour. However, Grande decided to take the stage again.

"She said, ‘Scooter, if I don't do something, I'm not who I say I was and these people died in vain. I need to get back on the road immediately,'" he recalled.

About two weeks after the attack, Grande returned to the stage to perform at the One Love Manchester concert, an event that was organized to benefit the families of the victims and the survivors. Several artists participated in the event, including Justin Bieber, Miley Cyrus, Katy Perry, Coldplay, Niall Horran, Pharrell Williams and more. According to ABC News, the concert raised nearly $3.5 million and helped bring the We Love Manchester Emergency Fund to $13 million.

"It was beyond moving," Braun said of the concert.

Getty Images/Dave Hogan for One Love Manchester

In addition to performing in the show, Grande visited survivors of the attack at the Royal Manchester Children's Hospital. She also met with the families of the victims. Even though Braun said Grande was "distraught" after speaking with the first family, she continued to meet with every single one.

"That was the hardest two hours of either of our lives," he said.

Grande was named the first honorary citizen of Manchester.

The "Side to Side" singer has opened up about how the incident affected her before.

"I don't think I've been through anything as traumatic as [what] we've been through," she told Coveteur.

She also expressed her condolences on Twitter after the attack and penned an essay, which she also shared on social media.

"My heart, prayers, and deepest condolences are with the victims of the Manchester Attack and their loved ones. There is nothing I or anyone can do to take away the pain you are feeling or to make this better," part of her essay read. "However, I extend my hand and heart and everything I possibly can give to you and yours, should you want or need my help in any way. The only thing we can do now is choose how we let this affect us and how we live our lives from here on out."

To hear Braun's full interview, listen to Big Questions With Cal Fussman.