Harry Styles Honors Manchester Bombing Victims With Ariana Grande Cover

"Sign of the Times" singer honors the 22 lives that were lost last May by covering "Just a Little Bit of Your Heart"

By Meg Swertlow Apr 12, 2018 2:54 AMTags

It's been 11 months since 22 people were killed after an Ariana Grande concert at the Manchester Arena in Manchester, England.

On Monday, British singer Harry Styles hit the stage at the Manchester Arena and made sure to tribute those who were lost in the deadly explosion with a heartfelt cover of Ariana's popular ballad "Just a Little Bit of Your Heart." 

Harry, who grew up outside of Manchester, said to the crowd, "The next song that we're going to play, I wrote a few years ago, and I gave it to a singer called Ariana Grande. She sang it a few times, and now we're going to do our version of it for you. And if you can find some way to join in, please do so. I stand with you, Manchester...and I thank you for spending some time with us."

The One Direction member then performed a stripped-down version of the hit tune.

Entertainment Weekly reports that the "Sign of the Times" singer has been covering the chart-topper through his solo tour, but the choice to perform it at the show was certainly a meaningful one given the circumstances.

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Harry Styles' Best Looks

On May 22, 2017, there was a terrorist attack shortly after Grande's concert that left 22 people dead and at least 50 more suffered injuries.

In a statement released by Greater Manchester Police at the time, officials shared, "This is currently being treated as a terrorist attack until police know otherwise."

In February, Ariana Grande's manager Scooter Braun admitted that the singer was so traumatized he wasn't sure she could ever sing her songs again. 

"When she found out fans of hers had died, she was so sad," Braun recalled. "I mean, she cried for days. There was nothing that could stop us. She felt every pain. Every face that they announced, every name—she wore it on her sleeve, like every bit of emotion, because that's who she is."

While Braun may have been worried she couldn't go on, go on is just what the singer did.

Ariana headlined the One Love benefit concert for the victims and she also refused to cancel her tour. She said pulling out wasn’t an option.

"I don’t think I’ve been through anything as traumatic as [what] we’ve been through. So...[the tour] can be a lot," she said of the tour. "Calling it off and going home was not an option. The message of the show was too important. For the crew and everyone involved, it’s become more than just a show for us. We are really grateful to be here and really grateful for this show."