By Sophie Albertie
A ceremony of sound, support, and outrage.
History was made at this year’s Grammy awards, with Olivia Dean becoming the fifth British artist this century to win the award of Best New Artist and Bad Bunny creating the first all Spanish language album, “DeBí Tirar Más Fotos,” to ever win Album of the Year.
Nearly every new big name in music accepted their award alongside a political statement of a couple of sentences, specifically signaling their alliance against ICE and the current border patrol legislation within the Trump Administration.
“I’m up here tonight as a granddaughter of immigrants. I’m a product of bravery and I believe these people deserve to be celebrated,” Dean said.
Bad Bunny said the first half of his acceptance speech in Spanish, expressing his love for Puerto Rico and the appreciation of his people. He goes on to dedicate his award to those who had to leave their homeland to follow their dreams. Artists like Billie Eilish and SZA also made anti-ICE statements.
There was a certain air to this award ceremony that felt more specific than ever before in regards to current events. The hypocrisy of privileged artists and celebrities in the one percent speaking out for change has been overshadowed by the weight behind their words. It is one thing to create a compilation of snippets of different celebrities singing “Imagine” while the world burns, but this perhaps takes a little more bravery and effort, hearing these acclaimed artists speak out about a specific atrocity was nice to witness.
