American singer Ariana Grande has said she will return to the "incredibly brave" city of Manchester to play a benefit concert to raise money for the victims of the Manchester Arena suicide bomb attack and their families.
Grande had just finished her set at the Manchester Arena on Monday and had left the stage when the bomb was detonated in the foyer, killing 22 people and injuring 59. She subsequently suspended her European tour until early June.
In a lengthy statement posted on Twitter, the 23-year-old said her "heart, prayers and deepest condolences" are with the victims of the attack and their loved ones.
— Ariana Grande (@ArianaGrande) May 26, 2017
"There is nothing I or anyone can do to take away the pain you are feeling or to make this better," she admitted.
"However, I extend my hand and heart and everything I possibly can give to you and yours, should you want or need my help in any way."
Grande wrote of the unifying power of music and appealed for people to come "closer together, to help each other, to love more, to sing louder and to live more kindly and generously than we did before".
"We will not quit or operate in fear," she said.
"We won't let this divide us. We won't let hate win."
"We will continue in honour of the ones we lost, their loved ones, my fans and all affected by this tragedy," she concluded.
"They will be on my mind and in my heart everyday [sic] and I will think of them with everything I do for the rest of my life."
Grande also posted a link to the British Red Cross and Manchester Evening News' fundraising appeal to support the families of those killed and injured in the bomb attack.
Earlier on Friday, Liam Gallagher announced that he would play a benefit concert next Tuesday, May 30, in Manchester, his hometown.
