Kehlani used her first ever Grammy wins to call out U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement as nationwide protests continue against the agency.
The Oakland singer won the award for best R&B performance and best R&B song during the Grammy Premiere ceremony on Sunday, Feb. 1, both for her 2025 hit single “Folded.” The pre-televised portion of the afternoon show streamed online ahead of the 68th Grammy Awards, set to air at 5 p.m. Sunday on CBS and Paramount+.
“My first time being nominated for a Grammy was 10 years ago,” the singer said during her acceptance speech at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles. “I hope everybody’s inspired to join together as a community of artists and speak out against what’s going on.
“So I’mma leave this and say f- ICE.”
Kehlani also wore an “ICE out” pin on her sheer black gown, making her stance on the recent influx of immigration raids clear. During the 83rd Golden Globe Awards last month, several stars wore similar pins that read “BE GOOD” in honor of Renée Good, who was shot and killed in her car by an ICE agent in Minneapolis on Jan. 7.
On Jan. 24, Veterans Affairs nurse Alex Pretti was also gunned down by ICE agents, prompting even more protests. Celebrities have since spoken out, including Bruce Springsteen, who penned a new song titled “Streets of Minneapolis” to honor Good and Pretti.
“We’re too powerful of a group to all be in the room at the same time and not make some kind of statement in our country,” Kehlani told the Hollywood Reporter on the red carpet. “It’s brainless to me.”
The singer has become known for using her platform to advocate for her political beliefs, most notably her support for Palestine.
Last spring, she faced backlash for speaking out against Israel and Zionism on her social media accounts and expressed in her music, which led to several concert cancellations.
“It got into my safety, my family dynamics, my friendships,” she said during an interview last December on New York’s Power 105.1 FM show “The Breakfast Club.” “I had to move. It put me into a really bad paranoia every time I left the house … And the death threats I got at my shows – like highly organized, typed-out, detailed death threats.”
Nonetheless, Kehlani’s career seems stronger than ever.
She’s set to return home to the Bay Area this week for pre-Super Bowl performances on Friday, Feb. 6, at San Jose City Hall and 1015 Folsom in San Francisco.
This article originally published at Oakland singer uses first Grammy win to slam ICE as nationwide protests grow.