Ariana Grande’s ‘Sweetener’ Includes Hidden Tribute to Manchester Victims

By Tara Bitran

LOS ANGELES (Variety.com) – A year after the terrorist bombing at her concert in Manchester, Ariana Grande is paying tribute to the 22 victims of the attack on her new album, ” Sweetener .”

The final song, “Get Well Soon,” includes 40 seconds of silence that makes the song’s duration exactly 5:22 in length — the date of the Manchester bombing in 2017.

In an interview with Ebro Darden for Beats 1, Grande discussed the importance of the song’s message to “help each other through scary times.” “There’s some dark s— out there, man, and we just have to be there for each other as much as we can,” she said.

She continued, “[But] 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 because we have things to do, we have schedules, we have jobs, we have kids and places to be, and pressure to fit into whatever f—ing bulls— you’re trying to put on to keep up. … People don’t pay attention to what’s happening inside.”

After the attack, Grande helped organize the One Love Manchester  benefit concert mere weeks after the attack at Manchester Arena in England. She was joined by Justin Bieber, Chris Martin, Katy Perry, Miley Cyrus, and Liam Gallagher, raising  more than $13 million — which rose to $22 million in the following weeks — for victims’ families.

On the anniversary of the bombing this past May, Grande took to Twitter, writing, “Thinking of you all today and every day. I love you with all of me and am sending you all of the light and warmth I have to offer on this challenging day.”

Grande also mourned the loss of music legend Aretha Franklin on Thursday. She  performed a tribute to her idol on “The Tonight Show.”