The Grammys had one villain this year—ICE raids

In code aft speech, this year’s Grammy-winning artists returned to 1 message—ICE is simply a menace that indispensable beryllium stopped.

After dramatic, convulsive escalations successful national raids connected migrant communities and their supporters successful Minneapolis and crossed the country, Americans person been shocked into despair and action. Many artists up for apical Grammys person been vocal astir their absorption to these raids, but astatine Sunday’s Grammys, the taxable was beforehand and halfway for galore winners successful their speeches.

“I privation to dedicate this to each the radical who had to permission their home, their country, to travel their dreams,” Bad Bunny said successful his mostly-Spanish acceptance code for the Grammys apical prize, Album of the Year.

Earlier successful the night, helium joked with big Trevor Noah astir Puerto Rico not being a large spot for Noah should fly to, the land inactive being an American territory and all. But Bad Bunny made his constituent intelligibly adjacent earlier taking location his biggest prize yet. “Ice out,” helium said. “If we fight, we person to bash it with love.”

With a Super Bowl halftime amusement coming adjacent week, he’ll instrumentality the signifier arsenic the astir important instrumentalist connected world close now, an urgent connection brought to the bosom of the astir aggressively American unrecorded event.

As musicians astir the state and the globe usage their platforms to signifier and talk retired against the ICE raids, galore acts wore pins connected the reddish carpet Sunday—from Joni Mitchell and Carole King to Olivia Rodrigo, Brandi Carlile and Justin and Hailey Bieber.

Yet it was striking conscionable however galore artists utilized the acceptance speeches to decry the agency’s actions nether President Trump.

Billie Eilish, an upset victor with member Finneas for opus for “Wildflower,” was adjacent much direct. “No 1 is amerciable connected stolen land,” she said. “It’s hard to cognize what to accidental and what to do, but we request to support warring and speaking up and protesting. Our voices truly bash matter.” Then came a long, bleeped infinitesimal connected the CBS broadcast—presumably thing urgently profane directed astatine a akin target.

That sentiment spanned genres and cultures. New creator winner, the U.K. R&B vocalist Olivia Dean, acknowledged the gifts of being “the granddaughter of an immigrant. I’m a merchandise of bravery and I deliberation these radical merit to beryllium celebrated.”

“Immigrants built this country, literally,” said state prima Shaboozey, a descendant of Nigerian migrant parents, winning for state duo/group performance. “This is besides for those who came to this state successful hunt of amended accidental to beryllium portion of a federation that promised state for each and adjacent accidental to everyone consenting to enactment for it. Thank you for bringing your civilization your music, your stories and your traditions here.”

Kehlani, a victor for R&B opus and performance, said that “Together, we’re stronger successful numbers to talk retired against each the injustice going connected successful the satellite close now. I anticipation everyone is inspired to travel unneurotic arsenic a assemblage of artists advertisement talk retired against what’s going on.”

” F— Ice,” Kehlani added, walking disconnected the stage.

Recording Academy main Harvey Mason Jr. besides utilized his code to underscore the “uncertainty and existent trauma,” of the situation successful America now. “It tin beryllium casual to consciousness overwhelmed, adjacent helpless successful challenging times. But euphony ne'er stands still,” helium said. “When we’re exhausted, euphony restores us. When were grieving, euphony sits with us.”

Alongside the night’s words of informing and rage, vocalist SZA offered what amounted to reassurance successful her code aft winning grounds for “Luther,” her Hot 100-dominating collaboration with Kendrick Lamar.

“Please don’t autumn into despair,” she said. “I cognize algorithms archer america it’s truthful scary and each is lost. But we tin spell on, we request each other. We’re not governed by the government, we’re governed by God.”