Ariana Grande detailed her feelings on the "shocking and heartbreaking" Manchester terrorist attack in her new documentary series.
Ariana Grande at the One Love Manchester concert
The 24-year-old singer had just finished a performance at Manchester Arena on May 22 2017 when a suicide bomber detonated a bomb outside the venue, killing 22 people and injuring around 500 others.
And in her new documentary series 'Dangerous Woman Diaries' - four episodes of which were released on YouTube on Thursday (29.11.18) - Ariana displays a letter she penned to her fans in February this year, which details her feelings eight months on from the horrific attack.
She wrote in the note: "I'm writing to you this February 22, 2018. It's been eight months since the attack at our show at the Manchester Arena. It's impossible to know where to start or to know what to say about this part. May 22, 2017, will leave me speechless and filled with questions for the rest of my life."
The 'No Tears Left to Cry' hitmaker went on to explain how she believes "music is an escape" and a "safe" place, but said she wasn't sure she'd ever be able to "fully recover" from the trauma.
Ariana - who was physically unharmed in the attack but later suffered symptoms of PTSD - added: "Music is an escape. Music is the safest thing I've ever known. Music - pop music, stan culture - is something that brings people together, introduces them to some of their best friends, and makes them feel like they can be themselves. It is comfort. It is fun. It is expression. It is happiness. It is the last thing that would ever harm someone. It is safe. When something so opposite and so poisonous takes place in your world that is supposed to be everything but that ... It is shocking and heartbreaking in a way that seems impossible to fully recover from."
The 'God is a Woman' singer returned to Manchester just weeks after the bombing in early June to stage the One Love Manchester benefit concert, which helped to raise money for the victims and their families.
And in her letter, Ariana praised the people of Manchester for their "love, strength, and unity" in the wake of the ordeal, as she said they taught her "not to be defeated".
She wrote: "The spirit of the people of Manchester, the families affected by this horrendous tragedy, and my fans around the world have permanently impacted all of us for the rest of our lives. Their love, strength, and unity showed me, my team, my dancers, band, and entire crew not to be defeated. To continue during the scariest and saddest of times. To not let hate win. But instead, love as loudly as possible, and to appreciate every moment. 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 hand print on my heart.' I think of Manchester constantly and will carry this with me every day for the rest of my life."
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