Ariana Grande. Source: Ariana Grande/Facebook.
Margaret Abrams, Ariana Grande’s Fans Were Teenage Girls Who Wanted a Safe Space, Observer, 23 May 2017
This attack was on young girls who thought they had found a safe space through Grande’s music, which is purposefully inclusive.
Ariana Grande is a pop star famous for wearing cat ears onstage and getting her start on a Nickelodeon show. But she’s become a trailblazing celebrity who is deeply devoted to her fans, with 105 million Arianators following her on Instagram.
Her fans tend to be young girls who are inspired by her “take no prisoners” attitude and playful songs. They create fan accounts dedicated to the artist, they follow her best friends on social media and they take her words to heart.
After the Manchester blast, Grande shared a heartbreaking message with her followers on Twitter and Facebook. One of her childhood friends, Misha Lambert, shared on Facebook, “Ariana and family and crew are okay. Thanks for checking in.” Lambert followed up today with: “Woke up feeling the distinct mixture of heartbrokenness and immense gratitude to not have lost any loved ones last night. Breathe in, breathe out.” Grande is notoriously close to her family, who she often features on social media, and still close with many of her childhood friends from Boca Raton, Florida.
Grande’s mother rushed fans to safety after the explosion and in the aftermath, other artists are speaking out on social media and reaching out to Grande, who has since suspended her international tour.
