Summer, I have a teenaged daughter. She has been an Ariana fan , it seems, for most of her life. Going back to Ariana's days at Disney. I never thought much of Ariana. She seemed sweet but very YOUNG and airy and somewhat fragile. One of her roles on a Disney show was that of a very ditsy and dumb young woman. I HATED IT ! She was certainly not outspoken at all. Though my husband and I LOVED the fact that her grandmother and grandfather went to every concert in the US and she always put them in the front row. She also takes her grandmother to awards show often. With some very hysterical results sometimes ... ( her grandmother : WHAT was THAT ? Ariana : It's called a twerk, granny. Grandmother : I would call it a NO. Don't do that ! )
After the Machester tragedy, my daughter and I talked about it a lot with regards to the victims AND Ariana. I really thought that she wouldn't go back. I thought she wouldn't perform for a while. Boy was I wrong. I was SO impressed by her and her family. She is a strong young woman. A caring young woman. And her generosity of spirit was very touching.
With all that said, her mom gave an interview explaining why Ariana sang Somewhere Over the Rainbow at the end.
Ariana's beloved grandfather died over two years ago. That was his favorite song. He spent years trying to get her to record it or sing it at one of her concerts. She didn't, saying it wouldn't do well at a pop concert. But after every concert, he went backstage and she sang it to him. She sang it publicly for the first and only time at his funeral...until Manchester. Her family had no idea she was going to sing it.
