Should Ariana Grande get special recognition at the BRIT Awards next month?

In May 2017, Manchester was subject to one of the most devastating terror attacks in this country, as a suicide bomber targeted fans at Ariana Grande's Dangerous Woman Tour. 22 innocent lives were taken at the Manchester Arena that night, with many others being left with serious injuries. I first heard about the attack when I was scrolling through Twitter that night, and saw people saying they had just heard a loud bang. Speculation then began to pour in about what happened, but I didn't let myself believe it was a bomb. Why would someone target innocent young people who have gone to see their idol perform live? Who would be evil enough to do that? I then turned on the news to see what I had been dreading, it was a bomb. My whole body went cold thinking about what those innocent people were suddenly going through. The fear that everyone must have felt that night, and the sadness that followed is something that I can't even begin to imagine, and as the death toll began to rise, the severity of what happened was getting clearer and clearer.

Thoughts then turned to Ariana and how she would respond. People expected her to return home to America and show her face a few months later, but she did the exact opposite. Not only did Grande visit the injured fans in hospital, she also put on a massive benefit concert to raise money for the victims. One Love Manchester managed to raise over £10 million through both ticket sales and individual donations! For Ariana to return to the stage under a month later from the attack and show the world that through the hate, love always wins, was incredible. People who didn't know much about Grande before the attack were suddenly speaking so highly of her, and I don't think there was anyone in the country and that didn't have any admiration or respect for her. In response to One Love Manchester, Ariana was made an honorary citizen of Manchester because of all the money that she helped raise for the victims.

Next month is the 2018 BRIT Awards, one of the biggest nights in music held in the UK. The BRITs usually pay tribute to legendary musicians who may have passed away since the last awards, however I think this year they should give Ariana a special acknowledgement. What happened at the Manchester Arena that night affected music lovers from all different backgrounds, as the shock of a concert full of fellow music lovers turning into something so horrific, was just unimaginable. I'm not saying Ariana should get a special BRIT Award for what she did (as no such award exists so far), but I definitely think the ceremony should pause for a few minutes to pay tribute to the victims who lost their lives, and thank Ariana for all that she did to raise money.