President Volodymyr Zelensky Provides Emotional Speech on the Grammys

“Assist us in any method you’ll be able to,” he added. “Any, however not silence.”

After Zelensky’s tackle, John Legend carried out his track “Free,” that includes a Ukrainian singer, Mika Newton, and a poet, Lyuba Yakimchuk, who fled the nation days in the past.

Right here is Zelensky’s full speech:

The struggle. What’s extra reverse to music? The silence of ruined cities and killed folks. Our youngsters draw swooping rockets, not taking pictures stars. Over 400 youngsters have been injured and 153 youngsters died. And we’ll by no means see them drawing. Our mother and father are comfortable to get up within the morning in bomb shelters. However alive. Our family members don’t know if we shall be collectively once more. The struggle doesn’t allow us to select who survives and who stays in everlasting silence. Our musicians put on physique armor as an alternative of tuxedos. They sing to the wounded in hospitals, even to those that can’t hear them. However the music will break by means of anyway. We defend our freedom to stay, to like, to sound on our land. We’re preventing Russia, which brings horrible silence with its bombs. The lifeless silence. Fill the silence together with your music. Fill it right this moment to inform our story. Inform the reality in regards to the struggle in your social networks, on TV. Assist us in any method you’ll be able to. Any — however not silence. After which peace will come. To all our cities the struggle is destroying — Chernihiv, Kharkiv, Volnovakha, Mariupol and others — they’re legends already. However I’ve a dream of them dwelling and free. Free such as you on the Grammy stage.

Many within the music business have made public statements opposing Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and displaying help for the Ukrainian folks. On Sunday night time on the Grammys, the Recording Academy teamed up with International Citizen to focus on its “Stand Up for Ukraine” initiative.

The three main file conglomerates — Sony, Warner Music and Common Music — have all suspended operations in Russia in response to the struggle, together with the touring behemoth Reside Nation, which launched a press release saying the corporate will “stop work with any and all Russian-based suppliers.” Spotify suspended its streaming service in Russia and closed its workplace in Moscow.

Musicians have additionally pledged solidarity with Ukraine, canceling reveals and talking out on social media. Inexperienced Day, My Chemical Romance, Björk, the Killers, AJR, Iggy Pop and others pulled out of reveals within the area. Pink Floyd and David Gilmour yanked a few of their music off digital suppliers in Russia and Belarus, writing in a assertion on Twitter that the transfer was an effort “to face with the world in strongly condemning Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.”

And artists have hosted profit concert events throughout the globe. Arcade Hearth held a last-minute profit present in New Orleans in March, donating all proceeds of the pay-what-you-can occasion to a reduction fund for residents in Ukraine. Days later, the band mentioned it raised over $100,000 after donating the proceeds from extra reveals in New York. Ed Sheeran, Camila Cabello, Nile Rodgers and others performed a profit live performance in England final week. At a New York fund-raiser the place she carried out alongside Gogol Bordello, a band with Ukrainian roots, Patti Smith introduced a $50,000 donation to Docs With out Borders on behalf of Yoko Ono and Sean Ono Lennon.

Rachel Sherman contributed reporting.