The Importance of The Grammys

Music will ALWAYS Matter in the Revolution

CULTURE MATTERS!

There is no protest movement without a soundtrack; certainly not in this country.

I was annoyed yesterday to see many people act like The Grammys don’t matter and trying to make others feel bad for caring.

For Democrats to not only win this year, but continue winning elections going forward, for Progressive ideals to be realistic, we NEED culture on our side. When celebrities are comfortable saying something that’s a clue as to where the culture is at. And we got that in SPADES at the Grammys…on CBS, no less.

But the thing is, The Grammys aren’t just about celebrities. So that needs to stop right now.

I spent the entire day watching the Grammys. And I mean, the ENTIRE day. From 12:40pm-8:40pm PST. Why? Because the show that starts at 5pm is the televised version, but over 80 other awards are handed out earlier in the day.

It’s called The Premiere Ceremony, and it’s on YouTube, meaning there’s no censorship and there’s no worry about how the given network will feel about the contents, because there isn’t one.

And there are some wins for celebrities, but most of the awards go to artists with a more niche following or songwriters or people on the production team.

These are people who having “won a Grammy” on their resume actually makes a difference.

The show itself is a little more haimish (yiddish for homey, kinda), like, this year, Darren Criss was hosting, but he also performed, and literally did his own introduction.

And it’s not the main show, it’s not gonna be shown on television, so when someone like Shaboozey or Kehlani shows up, that means something—more on both of them later.

Every single industry has award shows. We complain about the media ones, because so many of them are televised, but this part, this early part, this is the real stuff, this is where they give out most of the awards that actually matter for someone’s career.

And MY GOD was it political. So many incredible people of color sharing their stories. So many stories of Black joy and immigrant joy. My mom and I watched together and she protests multiple times a week and said this felt like being at a protest.

And, I’m not going to talk about the main show, because everyone else is doing that. We know the power in Bad Bunny’s words and Billie Eilish and Olivia Dean and their statements against this immigration. But you probably didn’t see the 4 hour Premiere Ceremony, so here’s what you missed:

Kehlani was the first artist to say something about ICE:

I hope everybody’s inspired to join together as a community of artists and speak out against what’s going on. And I’m gonna leave this and say, FUCK ICE!

Durand Bernarr began:

Happy Black History Month for the rest of my life.

He continued:

To all the independent artists out there, and to every butch queen who was made to feel like you were too much, I’m the proof that you needed and the sign you’ve been waiting for.

Just being Black and visible in this world is a political message and he did it so beautifully.

Shaboozey used his speech to talk about his mom and how yesterday was her special day too, she’s an immigrant and she just became a retired nurse:

I also want to thank my mother, who as of today has retired from her job after 30 years, working in the medical field as a registered nurse in a psych ward. She worked 3-4 jobs to provide for me and my siblings as an immigrant in this country.

And he finished with

Immigrants built this country, literally, so this is for them, for all children of immigrants, this is also for those who came to this country in search of better opportunity, to be part of a nation that promised freedom for all, and equal opportunity to everyone willing to work for it. Thank you for bringing your culture, your music, your stories and your traditions here. You give America color.

Wow. And considering what Jelly Roll said later (who was also on this record) it’s even a bigger deal that he said all that.

Israel & New Breed won Best Contemporary Christian Album.

Israel Houghton left Joel Osteen’s church in 2016 and even he had something to say:

So glad to represent Latinos. To those that are hiding in the shadows in America, those who are scared, let this music, let the hope that we are a part of a Kingdom that cannot be shaken. We are citizens of a Kingdom that cannot be shaken and that will not end.

That is not what I was expecting when the nominees for this category were read. In fact, I left the room to get food. And yet…

Gonzalo Rubalcaba, Yainer Horta & Joey Calveiro won Best Latin Jazz Album.

And Rubalcaba also spoke about immigrants:

I would like to ask for love and support and respect to every Latin and foreign people that come to this country and work.

Laufey won Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album and spoke about the importance of funding the arts:

I also want to say a huge thank you to all the music educators out there, all the arts educators. I owe everything to my music education, to my arts education. We cannot cut arts funding, it’s so important, what you all do here is so important.

There are so many ways that Trump is trying to destroy our country, and this is another one, and it got mentioned too.

Elaine Martone won Producer of the Year, Classical.

First she thanked her husband’s caregivers and hers as well, and then she went on to say:

Please, please, please, we are the creators, use your voice for good. We cannot let this insane regime continue.

Short, sweet and perfectly to the point.

Remy Le Beouf won Best Instrumental Composition.

He said:

This music is about building bridges. Bridges between genres, from Jazz to Folk to Classical. Bridges between the United States and Denmark, where the Nordkraft Big Band is based…bridges between people from myself, my listeners, and you all, so let’s keep building bridges.

I know his mention of Denmark was because of the band, but DAMN.

Heggie: Intelligence won Best Opera.

Kwame Ryan is the conductor, and he is one of very few Black conductors, which makes his win a political statement just in itself.

And speaking for myself, personally, as a Black conductor, we’re a small demographic, but getting less so one generation at a time, and moments like these could be so inspirational for the people who will follow.

Fyütch & Aura V won Best Children’s Music Album.

And this is without a doubt one of the most political speeches of the night:

Children’s music is more than a genre, it is an intention of artists who have dedicated our crafts to educating, entertaining and empowering the next generation. Which is our highest calling, to care for our children globally. And I don’t think I’m being controversial, I don’t think I’m being controversial when I say this: we are failing our children. Anytime we vote against feeding, protecting, clothing, educating our kids, we are condemning our collective future.

I mean, holy shit, right?

So, the Grammys matter. They have power on so many different levels. And it does a disservice to the entire protest movement to suggest otherwise.

We did not have this last year, not to this extent, this proves the tides are turning. So let’s celebrate these incredible artists!