Following her two Grammy wins on Sunday (Feb. 1), SZA made it clear how she feels about the increased presence of the United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents across the country.
In an interview with Tomas Mier for Variety, SZA was asked why she thought it was important to see so many artists speaking out against ICE during the Grammys this year.
“It's just like, it's incredibly dystopian that we're dressed up and able to celebrate accolades in the material world, and people are getting snatched up and shot in the face on the street,” she said. “It just feels bizarre, and I find so many of us don't really know how to feel right now besides rage and hopelessness, and I don't feel like that's the calling card that I want to subscribe to.”
She said that despite the tactics of ICE leaving people feeling depressed, especially in light of two fatal shootings of two civilians in Minnesota by ICE agents and an increase in detainments, she hopes that this moment provides a “possibility” for change.
“I believe that entropy can breed change. I believe that this is a time when we can dig deep as a community and really learn that, okay, it's not time to count on anyone else, but us and our neighbors to protect ourselves, to rally for each other, to be that morale booster, to disseminate mutual aid, to take care of each other,” she continued. “And I just feel like, yay, that's an amazing opportunity. Boo, that this is even happening. And, you know, it's always fuck ICE, but it's just a matter of… I just don't want everyone to fall into despair because when you lose steam and you lose morale, change becomes impossible. But it's so not. It's so not. And I'm personally not going. I will not be going quietly into the dying of the light. So I encourage everybody to do the same.”
SZA won two Grammy Awards on Sunday for her Kendrick Lamar collaboration “Luther,” which won Record of the Year and Best Melodic Rap Performance, but failed to win its third nomination, Song of the Year. She now has a total of seven Grammy Awards, while K Dot now has 27 Grammys, making him the most-awarded rapper in the history of the awards.
When she got onstage to accept the award alongside everyone else who contributed to “Luther,” she joked, “This is what happens when a whole bunch of nice people get on the stage at the same time,” she said. “We’re all like, ‘No, no, no, I don’t want to. You do it!’”
Kendrick Lamar also picked up awards for Best Rap Album and Best Rap Song at the Grammys on Sunday.
“Please don’t fall into despair,” she told the audience while picking up the Record of the Year Grammy alongside Kendrick. “I know that right now is a scary time. I know that the algorithms tell us that it’s so scary and all is lost. There’s been world wars and plagues, and we have gone on. We can go on. We need each other, we need to trust each other, and trust ourselves. Trust your heart. We’re not governed by the government; we’re governed by God. And I thank you so much.”
SZA wasn’t the only artist to call out ICE during the Grammys.
Kehlani won their first Grammy, Best R&B Performance, for the song “Folded,” and when they got onstage they condemned ICE.
“We're stronger in numbers to speak against all the injustice going on in the world right now,” they said. “So instead of letting it be just a couple of you here and there, I hope everybody is inspired to join together as a community of artists and speak out against what's going on. And I'm going to leave this and say, fuck ICE.”
Bad Bunny, meanwhile, picked up the Grammy for Best Música Urbana Album and simply said, “ICE out.”
Billie Eilish also didn’t mince her words when accepting the Grammy for Song of the Year.
“No one is illegal on stolen land,” Eilish said. “I feel really hopeful in this room, and I feel like we need to keep fighting and speaking up and protesting. Our voices really do matter, and the people matter.”