“ICE out” – Speeches take centre stage at 62nd Grammy Awards
Puerto Rican artist Bad Bunny won album of the year and the best musica urbana album prize at this year’s Grammy Awards in Los Angeles — Getty Images
Following the killing of 37-year-old ICU nurse Alex Pretti last week in Minneapolis, this year’s Grammys were dominated by anti-ICE speeches as winners called out the immigration operation
Album of the year winner Bad Bunny began his first speech of the night with a clear message: “ICE out.”
Olivia Dean was named best new artist and also used her speech to denounce what is happening. “I guess I want to say I’m up here as the granddaughter of an immigrant… I’m a product of bravery and I think those people deserve to be celebrated.”
Billie Eilish followed that up when accepting her award for song of the year, for Wildflower, passionately stating that “no one is illegal on stolen land.” Standing alongside her brother Finneas, she urged people to keep protesting: “It’s just really hard to know what to say and what to do right now, and I just, 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 ended her speech with a simple message: “f*** ICE.”
Joni Mitchell, Justin and Haley Bieber were among those showing their support of current protests by wearing ICE Out badges, while Kehlani and Justin Vernon, of the band Bon Iver, spoke out against ICE on the red carpet.
While accepting the record of the year Grammy alongside Kendrick Lamar, SZA encouraged viewers not to give up hope and in the press room after, she said “it’s incredibly dystopian that we’re dressed up and able to celebrate accolades … and people are getting snatched up and shot in the face on the street.”
SZA is optimistic that the current situation can improve, “I really believe in great possibilities. I believe that empathy can breed change.” But she is not backing down: “I will not be going quietly into the dying of the light.”
The ‘big four’ award winners of the night were:
Song of the year: Billie Eilish — Wildflower
Record of the year: Kendrick Lamar feat SZA — Luther
Album of the year: Bad Bunny — Debí Tirar Más Fotos
Best new artist: Olivia Dean
Meanwhile, Steven Spielberg reached EGOT status after winning best music film for Music By John Williams. He joins an exclusive group of only 22 people to have won an Emmy, Grammy, Oscar and a Tony.
It was a historic night for many artists, but the biggest winner was Bad Bunny who took home three awards including album of the year. It is the first time a Spanish-language LP has won the Recording Academy’s most prestigious prize, and it comes just a week before Bad Bunny headlines the Super Bowl halftime show — this coming Sunday at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, California.
Much has been said about Bad Bunny being chosen for this year’s halftime show. The decision has faced significant MAGA backlash and caused a lot of debate since its announcement but he has not shied away. The rapper reiterated his stance at the Grammys when dedicating his win to “all the people that had to leave their homeland, their country, to follow their dreams.”
And left us with this poignant message: “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. If we fight, we have to do it with love. We don’t hate them. We love our people, we love our family, and that’s the way to do it — with love. Don’t forget that, please.”