This year’s Grammys was as much a political stage as it was a musical one. Award winners addressed social and political issues like xenophobia and immigration alongside the usual celebrations of artistic achievement.
Many attendees protested U.S. Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (ICE), donning pins that read “ICE OUT.” Billie Eilish and Kehlani both said “fuck ICE” at the event. Puerto Rican artist Bad Bunny won album of the year for Debí Tirar Más Fotos, the first Spanish-language album to receive the award. He also spoke against ICE during his speech. “We’re not savage. We’re not animals. We’re not aliens. We are humans, and we are Americans,” Bad Bunny said. “The hate gets more powerful with more hate.” The audience responded with thunderous applause, and I couldn’t help but feel moved and impressed. His words, backed by his award and his career, were proof that Spanish-language music is not foreign and alien; it is a vital part of American culture.
Eilish’s “Wildflower” won the Grammy for Song of the Year, and her stunned reaction to receiving the award went viral. I shared her surprise and also felt a little displeased. Because Eilish released “Wildflower” as part of her 2024 album HIT ME HARD AND SOFT, the song was eligible for the award only because she re-released it as a single in 2025. I think that a song originally released in 2025, such as “Abracadabra” by Lady Gaga, “Anxiety” by Doechii, “Manchild” by Sabrina Carpenter or “Golden” by HUNTR/X, should have won instead.
Comedian Trevor Noah, who has hosted the Grammys since 2021, closed the show for his final time this year. “That is a Grammy that every artist wants,” Noah said after Eilish received her Grammy, “almost as much as Trump wants Greenland, which makes sense because Epstein’s island is gone. He needs a new one to hang out with Bill Clinton.” In response, President Donald Trump slammed Noah in a post on Truth Social, in which he called Noah “a total loser” and a “poor, pathetic, talentless, dope of an M.C.”
Rapper Nicki Minaj also ranted about the ceremony in a series of posts on X shortly after Noah poked fun at her in his opening speech. She made several allegations against other celebrities and urged Christians and the LGBTQ+ community to not vote for “demoncrats.” Minaj’s rant was in line with her recent pivot to right-wing politics. Minaj’s and Trump’s rants came off as poor stabs to get attention.
While there was fierce competition in some categories like Best New Artist, most of the Grammy awards this year felt like foregone conclusions. I found this year’s show relevant more because of the artists’ activism than the awards themselves. Artists used their major platforms to emphasize important social and political issues like the Trump administration’s persecution of immigrants and refused to allow the awards ceremony to take precedence over more pressing issues.