This year’s Grammy Awards was more than just about celebrating the best music out of the last year. The show coincided with President Donald Trump’s ongoing ICE operation in Minneapolis, and you can bet many Grammy stars took the stage to call out the administration’s controversial policy.
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They say art is political. So whether is celebs like Justin Bieber and Kehlani wearing “ICE out” pins on the red carpet or comedian and host Trevor Noah cracking jokes about the president and his controversial efforts and Billie Eilish screaming “f*ck ICE” on stage, the 68th Grammy shockingly resulted in several stars speaking out against ICE. Here’s what you missed…
Kehlani
While accepting the award for Best R&B Performance, California singer Kehlani made sure to speak on what’s happening in America. In addition to wearing an “ICE out” pin, the “Folded” star spoke.
“Everybody is so powerful in this room and in this room later, together we’re stronger in numbers to speak against the injustice going on in the world right now,” she said. “So instead of letting it be just a couple of you here and there, I hope everyone’s inspired to join together as a community of artists and speak out against what is going on and imma leave this and say ‘f*ck ICE.’”
Trevor Noah
When comedian Trevor Noah was tapped to host the Grammys again, you should’ve expected him to come with the perfectly timed jokes! Throughout the night, Noah jabbed at the Trump administration, ICE and even Nicki Minaj, who wasn’t in the crowd but certainly was a topic of conversation.
“Nicki Minaj is not here,” the comedian said to the cheering crowd. “She is still at the White House with Donald Trump, discussing very important issues.” Noah then gave his best Trump impression. “Actually Nicki I have the biggest ass,” he said as the president.
Billie Eilish
During her speech for Song of the Year, Billie Eilish shared a special message for ICE. “No one is illegal on stolen land. And yeah, it’s just really hard to know what to say and what to do right now,” she said. “I feel really hopeful in this room and I feel like we just need to keep fighting and speaking up and protesting and our voices really do matter and the people matter and erm, F*ck ICE.”
Shaboozey
Emotions were high for country star Shaboozey, who accepted the award for Best Country Duo. While he didn’t explicitly name ICE or President Trump, the Nigerian-American singer did give a much needed history lesson and shout out to immigrants and all the children of immigrants.
“Immigrants built this country, literally. So, this is for them, for all children of immigrants,” he said. “Thank you for bringing your culture, your music, your stories, and your traditions here. You give America color.”
Olivia Dean
Best New Artist winner Olivia Dean isn’t even from the U.S., but the British singer gave a special shoutout to immigrant community in light of ongoing ICE tensions. “I’m up here as the granddaughter of an immigrant. I wouldn’t be here – I’m a product of bravery and I think those people deserve to be celebrated,” the “Man I Need” singer said. “We’re nothing without each other.”
Bad Bunny
Latin singer Bad Bunny was certainly one of the major stars of the evening. The Puerto Rican singer has been outspoken against Trump and his mass deportation efforts. So while accepting one of three Grammys last night, Bad Bunny took to the stage with a special message.
“Before I say thanks to God, I’m gonna say ‘ICE OUT’. We’re not savage, we’re not animals, we’re not aliens, we’re Americans.” He continued, “The hate gets more powerful, with more hate, the only thing more powerful than hate is love. So please, we need be different, if we fight we have to do it with love; if we don’t hate them, we love our people we love our family and that’s the way to do it, don’t forget that.”
SZA
In addition to Bad Bunny, Kendrick Lamar also had an amazing Grammy night. Towards the end of the night, Lamar and SZA took the stage to accept their award for Record of the Year. During the speech, SZA took the mic to give people some much needed encouragement.
“Please don’t fall into despair. I know that right now is a scary time I know the algorithm is telling us that it’s so scary and all is lost – there’s been world wars, there’s been plagues,” she said. “We have gone on, we can go on, we need each other we need to trust each other, trust our selves trust our hearts. We’re not governed by the government we’re governed by God.”
Jon Baptiste
Jon Baptiste didn’t attend the Grammys, but after winning Best Americana Album, his co-producer accepted the award on his behalf and read Baptiste’s speech. “Americana comes in many different shades and this is a country of immigrants – I’d like to remind you all of that,” he said.
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