After a suicide bomber triggered an explosive following her concert in Manchester, England, last year, Ariana Grande "cried for days," her manger said in a new interview.
The pop star had just left the stage on May 22 when an explosion went off in the lobby of the Manchester Arena. Twenty-two people died in the terror attack.
Ariana said she was "broken" after the attack.
Scooter Braun, Ariana's manager, spoke to the "Big Questions with Cal Fussman" podcast about that fateful day, as well as Ariana's decision to visit victims and continue her tour.
"When she found out that fans of hers had died, she was so sad," Scooter said. "She cried for days, she felt everything — every face they announced, every name, she wore on her sleeve. Every bit of emotion because that's who she is."
Just days after the attack, Ariana and Scooter visited injured fans at Royal Manchester Children's Hospital. Scooter said it was the "hardest two hours of either of our lives." At times, they felt like they couldn't go on.
"After the first family, I had to help her, she was distraught and I was lost. It was beyond tough. But every single time we got down, we reminded each other we get to go home," he said. "Our loved ones are still going to be there. That mother is never coming home, that daughter is never coming home, that son is never coming home, that dad is never coming home."
Continuing her Dangerous Woman tour afterward was difficult, but there wasn't ever really a question: Ariana was going to continue the tour. Period.
"We didn't have the right to be so sad we couldn't continue. The terrorist made a mistake … they picked the wrong godd— show," Scooter said. "Because if they thought we were going to roll over, they don't know Ariana and they don't know me."
Less than two weeks after the attack, Ariana returned to Manchester to perform the One Love Manchester benefit concert.