The 2025 Grammy Awards were held on Sunday, February 1. They included many awards, such as Song of the Year and Album of the Year.
The phrase “When words fail, music speaks,” is a phrase commonly used when times are hard, and music can get through to us. However, this year’s Grammys was something different than that.
With recent events in Minnesota involving Immigration and Customs Enforcement, artists showed up to the red carpet with pins on their outfits reading “ICE out.”
That was only the beginning of what was to come for the peaceful protesters that night.
Award shows, known for impactful speeches and messages in the past, have now become a platform for artists to share their political messages and their hopeful words.
Bad Bunny, a Latin artist also known as Benito Ocasio, won Best Música Urbana Album. Bad Bunny is known for his performances and music videos, which show the communities and culture of his home, Puerto Rico, a United States territory.
This was only one of six awards that Ocasio won that night. The biggest award he took home was Album of the Year.
Before the main part of his acceptance speech began, he started off by expressing his disagreement with ICE and his plea to America for respect for immigrants.
“Before I say thanks to God, I’m going to say, ICE out. We are not savage. We are not animals. We are not aliens. We are humans, and we are Americans.” Ocasio expressed before going into more of his speech, where he said that, “The hate gets more powerful with more hate. The only thing that is more powerful than hate is love. So, please, we need to be different. If we fight, we have to do it with love.”
The Grammys are the biggest stage for music awards. Ocasio has also received backlash this past year when he was announced as the Super Bowl halftime performer, which will happen this coming Sunday, February 8, 2026.
Billie Eilish also used her win of Song of the Year for “Wildflower” to speak out against ICE.
Eilish says, “I don’t feel like I need to say anything, except no one is illegal on stolen land.”
Accepting the Grammy for Best New Artist was Olivia Dean. She said, “I’m up here as a granddaughter of an immigrant. I’m a product of bravery, and I think those people deserve to be celebrated.”
These artists have large platforms. Oscasio is one of the biggest artists in the world, Eilish has a large following among teens with mental health struggles, and Dean is a new artist. These different backgrounds allow people to connect with them, and when they share messages, both political and personal.
Politics has become more included in award shows and live television. Instead of the performances and the awards being remembered, the artists and their messages will be remembered from this year’s Grammy Awards.