Annie Lennox calls for ceasefire during Grammy performance
By Marianne Garvey, CNN
(CNN) — Annie Lennox made a plea for peace by calling for a ceasefire during the Grammy Awards on Sunday.
In one of the few moments of the night evoking global events, Lennox concluded her tribute to Sinéad O’Connor with a performance of “Nothing Compares 2 U” by raising her fist and shouting, “Artists for ceasefire! Peace in the world!”
Lennox is among more than 300 artists, actors and advocates who in late October first published a letter urging the US Congress and President Joe Biden to call for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza and Israel through Artists4Ceasefire.org. America Ferrera, Jordan Peele, Gracie Abrams, Jennifer Lopez, Ben Affleck, Amanda Gorman, Dua Lipa, Jon Stewart and Drake are among the other artists to have signed the letter as of Jan. 23.
“We are here to lend our voices and our platforms to amplify the global call for an immediate and permanent ceasefire, the safe return of all hostages, and the immediate delivery of humanitarian aid to the civilians in Gaza,” a statement from Artists4Ceasefire website reads. “We stand for our common humanity, and a future rooted in freedom, justice, dignity and peace for all people. We cannot be silent. Compassion must prevail.”
On the red carpet at the Grammys, singer and social media star Montana Tucker expressed support for Israeli hostages being held by Hamas by wearing a large yellow ribbon on her gown, inscribed with the message, “Bring Them Home.”
“I understand what is going on right now is extremely sensitive. It doesn’t have to be political. It just has to be about humanity,” Tucker told CNN.
Also on Sunday, Harvey Mason Jr., the chief executive of The Recording Academy, recognized the victims of the Nova Music Festival who were attacked by Hamas on Oct. 7.
“Music must always be our safe space,” Mason said, as a string quartet comprised of musicians of Palestinian, Israeli and Arab descent, according to Mason, played together on stage. “When that’s violated, it strikes at the very core of who we are.”
Mason referenced the 2017 bombing after an Ariana Grande show in England, the terror attack at the Bataclan club in Paris in 2015, the fatal mass shooting at the Route 91 Harvest music festival, then cited the massacre at Nova.
“That day, and all the tragic days that have followed, have been awful for the world to bear as we mourn the loss of all innocent lives,” Mason said. “Music must remain the common ground upon which we all stand together in peace and harmony.”
CNN’s Elizabeth Wagmeister contributed to this story.
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