If you spotted your favorite alternative music group wearing red pins at the 66th Grammy Awards in Los Angeles on Sunday night, it wasn’t for the sake of a trend. Boygenius, a band comprised of Phoebe Bridgers, Lucy Dacus, and Julien Baker, showed up to this year’s ceremony at the Crypto Arena advocating for the end of the violence in Palestine via a red pin that stated “artists for ceasefire” placed on the collars of their coordinating ivory Thom Browne suits.
Artists for Ceasefire is a collective of musicians, actors, and activists who have come together in response to Israel’s ongoing bombardment of Gaza. Artists such as Dua Lipa, Kehlani, and Yara Shahidi have all signed a letter demanding US president Joe Biden “to honor all of the lives in the Holy Land and call for and facilitate a ceasefire without delay– an end to the bombing of Gaza, and the safe release of hostages.” The president has yet to openly advocate for a ceasefire. It’s not the first time that the Grammys red carpet has been used to make a statement— In 2018, a number of musicians showed up to the annual ceremony wearing white roses as a way to show their solidarity with the Time’s Up movement.
Meanwhile, the super group who was nominated for seven Grammys weren’t the only ones to advocate for the Palestinian cause. During the in memoriam tribute to the late Sinéad O’Connor, Scottish singer Annie Lennox appeared on stage with fellow ’80s icons Wendy & Lisa to give a moving performance of Nothing Compares 2 U, and called for a ceasefire as the song came to a close. Raising her fist into the air, she shouted, “Artists for ceasefire! Peace in the world!”
Just a few hours before her performance, Lennox posted a lengthy Instagram caption in which she expressed her outrage at the ongoing carpet bombing of Gaza. “Is there ANY point in posting every day to keep calling for peace and ceasefire, while it’s perfectly obvious that the military objective is to bring about the total decimation of Gaza and her people?” she wrote. “I find it impossible to witness these appalling atrocities and just be indifferent or silent.”
