Ariana Grande’s not in charge of the box office. Thank u, next.
That was the pop singer’s response following backlash that her addition as the headliner to the Manchester Pride Live event was the reason behind the inflated ticket prices for this year’s show, according to US Weekly.
“hi my love,” she tweeted. “i have nothing to do with ticket pricing — manchester pride sets those rates, and they’re mostly out of my control.”
But Grande, 25, also tamped down a more serious criticism with her lengthy post. There had been questions about her motivation, including a not-so-subtle jab that Grande, who is heterosexual, was exploiting the LGBTQ community with her acceptance of the gig.
“lbgtq representation is incredibly important,” she tweeted directly at one detractor, “and i’m always proud to share the stage with lgbtq artists! over the years, pride events have been headlined by performers and artists of all sexual orientations and genders, including straight allies like cher and kylie minogue.”
https://twitter.com/ArianaGrande/status/1100833408144498688
(Before we go on, somebody should really clue in Grande on the capitalization key/button.)
“i do think there’s room for us to talk about these issues without equating a performance *for* an lgbtq audience with exploitation of the lgbtq community,” she continued. “if you truly feel like i didn’t deserve to be offered this spot, i respect that. but i did accept it excitedly and gratefully.”
She concluded this way: “i’m not claiming to be the hero of the community or the fae of the lgbtq rights movement — i just wanna put on a show that makes my lgbtq fans feel special and celebrated and supported. that’s all i wanna do.”
Grande will always be linked to Manchester. Following her 2017 performance there, a man detonated a bomb that killed 22 people who were exiting the concert venue.
Less than a month after the attack, Grande returned to the city for the “One Love Manchester” benefit.
She gave the city a shout-out with a tweet from earlier this week.
“manchester babes, i’m so thrilled to be headlining pride,” she wrote. “my heart. i cant wait to see u and i love u so so much.”
https://twitter.com/ArianaGrande/status/1100096962718650368
