The 68th Grammy Awards, held in Los Angeles, became a platform for artists to voice their opposition to the Trump administration's stringent immigration policies and recent gun violence incidents.
During the pre-show events, before the main awards were presented, musicians took the opportunity to criticize government policies. Cuban-born singer Gloria Estefan, who won in the Latin Album category, took the stage to emphasize, "I hope the government listens to our call for humanity." R&B singer Kehlani, who won in the R&B Song and Performance categories, urged people to speak out against global injustices and directed expletives at the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
Country duo performance winner Shaboozey expressed gratitude to his Nigerian immigrant mother, stating, "Immigrants built this country. This award is for them and all immigrant children," earning applause from the audience.
Many artists, including Kehlani and songwriter Amy Allen, wore 'ICE Out' badges on their outfits, calling for an end to ICE's operations. These badges were distributed by anti-immigration enforcement activists near the awards venue.
Jess Morales Rocketto, executive director of the Latinx immigrant advocacy group Maremoto, remarked, "Musicians are particularly rebellious and uphold the spirit of punk rock." Justin Vernon of the band Bon Iver mentioned, "The real work is being done by activists on the ground in Minneapolis, and we applaud them."
Reported by Kyung Min Lee, TenAsia 2min_ror@tenasia.co.kr