Ariana Grandehas responded to criticism over her upcomingManchester Pride Festival performance.
After some Twitter users accused the pop superstar of exploiting the LGBTQ community, Grande set the record straight on social media.
On Monday, the singer confirmed she would be headlining the U.K. city’s pride festivities, and she received backlash from a few detractors.
“idk …. ariana headlining pride when she’s straight (as far as we’re all aware) …. and doubling the price of tickets …. kinda smells like exploitation of the lgbt community to me …..” one Twitter user wrote.
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Two days later, Grande — a longtime ally of the LGBTQ community — addressed the negativity online.
“i have nothing to do with ticket pricing — manchester pride sets those rates, and they’re mostly out of my control,” Grande started her note on Twitter.
“the lgbtq community has been so special to me and supportive throughout my career. the relationships i have with lgbtq fans, friends, and family make me so happy. i want to celebrate and support this community regardless of my identity or how people label me. and also i wanna visit a city that means so much to me. lgbtq representation is incredibly important, and i’m always proud to share that stage with lgbtq artists!” Grande added.
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Grande concluded: “i’m not claiming to be the hero 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.”
The “7 rings” singer announced her slot as the headliner for the 2019 Manchester Pride Festival on Monday.
“Manchester babes, I’m so thrilled to be headlining pride,” she wrote on Twitter of the event, which will be held between Aug. 23 and Aug. 26 in the English city. “My heart. I cant wait to see you and I love you so, so much.”
The Manchester Pride Festival announcement comes after a particularly successful few weeks for Grande. Her fifth album,thank u, next,topped the Billboard 200 chart for the second week in a row. And last week, three of Grande’s new singles topped the Hot 100 chart:“7 rings”at No. 1,“break up with your girlfriend, i’m bored”at No. 2 and thetitle trackat No. 3; the last time an artist simultaneously occupied the top three chart positions was when The Beatles did it in 1964.
The Grammy winner’sSweetener World Tourkicks off March 18 in Albany, New York.
source: people.com
