H.E.R.won big on Sunday — and she used her moment to speak out against racial injustice.
During theGrammy Awards, the singer, 23, took home the song of the year trophy for “I Can’t Breathe,” which was written in response to the death ofGeorge Floyd.
While accepting her award onstage with co-writer Tiara Thomas, H.E.R. said she’s “never been so proud to be an artist” and was “so, so grateful” to be the winner.
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The singer went on to say the award was especially meaningful because “I didn’t imagine that my fear and my pain would turn into impact and possibly turn into change.”
“That’s what this is about. That’s why I write music, that’s why I do this,” she continued. “I thank God for the gift of a voice… and using me as a vessel to create change.”
“We are the change we wish to see and that fight that we had in us in summer 2020, keep that same energy,” she finished, referencing the protests that occurred after Floyd’s death.
Also nominated for song of the year wereBeyoncéfor “Black Parade,” Roddy Ricch for “The Box,“Taylor Swiftfor “Cardigan,“Post Malonefor “Circles,“Dua Lipafor “Don’t Start Now,“Billie Eilishfor “Everything I Wanted,” andJP Saxe and Julia Michaelsfor “If The World Was Ending.”
H.E.R. with Tiara Thomas.Kevin Winter/Getty
“We honestly were coming from the perspective of our own personal feelings and then it turned into being part of the movement and being a part of history,” she said. “I think the song is going to be a stamp in time and people are going to think of this song when they think of George Floyd, when they think of Brianna Taylor, when they think of all of these people that we are still fighting for.”
“I hope that it’s a contribution to the movement and that it will continue the fight, and it will continue to give people hope because I think that’s what music does,” she continued. “It’s so much bigger than this and this is amazing and this makes it all worth it… This is something we have to continue.”
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H.E.R. also spoke about a specific lyric in her song that states, “Thank God we don’t seek revenge, we seek justice.”
“When we stop being afraid of the truth and afraid of the pain and afraid of the trauma, then we can really move forward. And that’s where I was coming from when I wrote that that line,” she explained. “Four bars wasn’t enough for a verse to talk about the pain that we experienced and it’s still not enough.”
H.E.R.Kevin Mazur/Getty
This year, H.E.R. was also up for best R&B song for “Better Than I Imagined” as well as “Slow Down.” The singer previously picked up two awards at the 61stGrammy Awards: best R&B performance and best R&B album.
Like many socially distanced awards shows that have already taken place, this year’s Grammy nominees will be coming together while staying safely apart to celebrate music’s biggest night amid the ongoing pandemic.
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Among the venues that will be featured are the Troubadour and The Hotel Café in Los Angeles, the Apollo Theater in New York City, and The Station Inn in Nashville.
source: people.com
