In light of the one year anniversary of the May 22, 2017 Manchester Arena attack, Ariana Grande has opened up about the One Love Manchester benefit performance that she organized just two weeks after the tragic event.
The singer explained why she chose to sneak in one song on the set list that wasn’t hers: her grandpa’s favorite song, “Over the Rainbow” from The Wizard of Oz.
“He would always tell me to sing it in my concerts,” Grande told The FADER. “He would always say, ‘You know what you should end with? “Over the Rainbow.”’ And I never did it until that moment. When I was getting ready to do it, I was thinking about him and I felt his presence so heavily around me. He was the person I was closest to in my life. He was everything I wanted to be: as a businessman, as a gentleman, as a human being, as a friend, everything. He was just perfect to me.”
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Video footage proves there were few dry eyes in the audience as Grande serenaded the 1939 ballad — even she couldn’t help but break down mid-song. Grandpa would be proud.