Kehlani won their first Grammy in the category of Best R&B Performance for their song “Folded.” During their acceptance speech, they condemned the United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
“What I wanna make sure that I say is that everybody is so powerful in this room and in this room later,” Kehlani said towards the end of her speech, which you can view below.
“And together we're stronger in numbers to speak against all the injustice going on in the world right now. 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.”
In addition to Best R&B Performance for “Folded,” Kehlani also won Best R&B Song for the single. Released in June 2025, “Folded” became an instant fan favorite. In November, the song peaked at No. 6 on the Billboard Hot 100, the singer’s first-ever top 10 hit on the chart.
That month, ahead of a performance of “Folded” on Jimmy Kimmel Live!, Kehlani told fans their “gratitude is endless.”
Kehlani’s animosity toward ICE isn’t surprising. In May 2024, the 30-year-old made headlines for their pro-Palestinian stance. "It’s fuck Israel, and it’s fuck Zionism, and it’s also fuck a lot of y’all, too,” they said at the time.
They later paid the price for those comments. The following May, then-New York City Mayor Eric Adams’ office announced that Kehlani’s headlining Central Park SummerStage concert was canceled due to security concerns tied to their previous support for Palestine.
Months later, in December 2025, Kehlani addressed how their outspoken support of Palestine has affected their career on The Breakfast Club. They explained that, though there have been retaliatory efforts to put them in their place, they “can’t really be taken out in that way” when their work remains great, citing “Folded” as proof.