Numerous winners at the Grammy Awards used their moment in the spotlight to call out immigration enforcement authorities amid the Trump administration’s crackdown across the country. Others celebrated their roots and hailed the importance of immigrants.
Several stars including Justin and Hailey Bieber, Joni Mitchell and Jack Antonoff also wore pins that read “ICE OUT” to the Sunday awards show.
Nationwide protests have erupted in recent weeks and cities remained on edge over federal immigration personnel’s deployment across the country and the fatal shootings of two Americans, Renée Good and Alex Pretti, in Minneapolis last month.
Bad Bunny
The Puerto Rican rapper — who made history by becoming the first artist to win the top prize for a Spanish-language album — received a standing ovation for his remarks as he accepted his award for best música urbana album at the Sunday awards show.
“Before I say thanks to God, I’m going to say: ICE out.” Bad Bunny said. “We’re not savages, we’re not animals, we’re not aliens. We are humans. And we are Americans. … The only thing that is more powerful than hate is love.”
Billie Eilish and Finneas O’Connell
Billie Eilish and her brother and co-writer, Finneas O’Connell, both wore pins saying “ICE OUT” during the ceremony.
Speaking after winning song of the year for “Wildflower,” Eilish said, “As grateful as I feel, I honestly don’t feel like I need to say anything but that: No one is illegal on stolen land.”
“It’s just really hard to know what to say and what to do right now. And 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,” she said before CBS bleeped out her next statement.
Olivia Dean
British singer-songwriter Olivia Dean, who won the award for best new artist, used her acceptance speech to pay tribute to her roots and touch on immigration issues.
“I’m up here as the granddaughter of an immigrant,” said Dean, who was born in London to a Jamaican-Guyanese mother and an English father. “I’m a product of bravery and I think those people deserve to be celebrated. We’re nothing without each other.”
Shaboozey
Singer-songwriter Shaboozey dedicated his first Grammy win to “all children of immigrants” and thanked his mother for working “three to four jobs” to provide for him and his siblings “as an immigrant in this country.”
The star, born Collins Obinna Chibueze, is a Woodbridge, Virginia, native whose parents are Nigerian immigrants. He took home the award for best country performance by a duo or group which he won for pop-country song “Amen,” with Jelly Roll.
“Immigrants built this country, literally,” he said during the pre-telecast ceremony. “Thank you for bringing your culture, your music, your stories, and your traditions here. You give America color.”
Kehlani
R&B singer Kehlani, who won best R&B performance and best R&B song for “Folded,” used her moment in the spotlight to express disdain for the immigration enforcement agency and to call on people to speak out against injustice. She also wore an “ICE OUT” pin for the show.
“What I wanna make sure that I say is that everybody is so powerful in this room. … And together, we’re stronger in numbers to speak against all the injustice going on in the world right now,” she said. “I hope everybody’s inspired to join together as a community of artists and speak out against what’s going on.”
She also used an expletive about ICE both on the red carpet and onstage.
Justin Vernon
Justin Vernon, founder of the band Bon Iver, wore an “ICE OUT” pin along with an orange whistle.
He told Variety that the whistle pin was “to honor the observers in Minneapolis” who “blow the whistle when they see ICE come in.” Thousands of Minnesotans, outraged by Good and Pretti’s killings, have signed up to be trained as ICE observersto monitor the agency.
“They are there to protect their community and they’ve been doing it for weeks. It’s great to stop here and celebrate music and the power of music, but the real work is in the streets of Minneapolis right now,” Vernon said at the Grammy Awards.
Samara Joy
Samara Joy, who won best jazz vocal album for “Portrait,” also wore an “ICE OUT” pin to the awards. She told Variety that “now is not the time to get super down or downtrodden about what’s going on, but to speak up and speak out for those who can’t at the moment.”
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