OAKLAND, CA — Kehlani won her first-ever Grammy Sunday night and used her opportunity on stage to slam Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
The Oakland native won “Best R&B Performance” for her hit single “Folded” and went up on stage at the Grammys wearing a glimmering black dress with a contrasting white pin that said,” ICE OUT.”
The “Folded” singer reminisced about her first time being nominated for a Grammy 10 years ago before thanking her team and then saying, “I hope everybody’s inspired to join together as a community of artists and speak out against what’s going on.”
“So instead of letting it be just a couple of you here and there, I hope everybody’s inspired to join together as a community of artists and speak out against what’s going on,” the seven-time Grammy nominee said.
“I’mma leave this and say f— ICE,” she added.
During a second win of the night, Kehlani went on to thank her mother for adopting her, saying she could’ve done anything in her 20s, but instead “chose to take care of me and put me in all the programs and all the things that would feed who I am today.
“So, mommy, I owe you everything,” Kehlani said.
Kehlani is said to have faced backlash last spring, according to the San Francisco Chronicle, after she spoke out against Israel and Zionism on her social media accounts.
Those comments led to several concert cancellations, but her career appears stronger than ever, as she has a pair of pre-Super Bowl performances scheduled in the Bay Area this week, according to the San Francisco Chronicle.