At the 68th Annual Grammy Awards in Los Angeles on Sunday night, you can expect a lot of talk about United States President Donald Trump’s immigration policies and ICE, but not much about Israel and Gaza, and probably even less about the Iranian government killing thousands of young protesters over the last few weeks.
Every year since the October 7 attack by Hamas on Israel and the outbreak of the war, there has been progressively less noise about the Hamas-Israel war at the music industry’s biggest annual awards fest.
This year, among the top award contenders are Kendrick Lamar, Lady Gaga, and Bad Bunny.
Former Daily Show host Trevor Noah will host the show, and the performers and presenters are expected to include Doechii, Harry Styles, Carole King, Chappell Roan, Charli xcx, Jeff Goldblum, Karol G, Lainey Wilson, Marcello Hernández, Nikki Glaser, Q-Tip, Queen Latifah, and Teyana Taylor, Justin Bieber, Clipse, Pharrell Williams, Sabrina Carpenter, Bruno Mars, Rosé, Tyler, the Creator, and Lady Gaga. Sports reporter and pro-Israel influencer Emily Austin will be attending.
In 2024, the Grammys paid tribute to those murdered and kidnapped on October 7 at the Supernova Music Festival. Harvey Mason Jr, the Recording Academy CEO, eulogized the victims to the accompaniment of a string quartet of Israeli, Arab, and Palestinian musicians, meant to represent healing and unity.
“We felt that at the Bataclan concert hall in Paris. We felt that at the Manchester Arena in England. We felt that at the Route 91 Harvest Music Festival in Las Vegas. And, on October 7, we felt that again, when we heard the tragic news from the Supernova Music Festival for Love, that over 360 music fans lost their lives, and another 40 were kidnapped. 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, although at no time did he mention that the attack took place in Israel, and he was criticized for the omission.
Singer Montana Tucker, who is Jewish, made her feelings about the hostage crisis known in 2024 by wearing a dress with a big yellow ribbon in the middle. The outspoken Tucker has visited many times since 2023, performing with Israeli dancers and visiting hostage families, and she co-produced and hosted a documentary about children who suffered on October 7.
'Artists for ceasefire' and yellow ribbon pins
Also at the 2024 Grammys, Eurythmics vocalist Annie Lennox called for a ceasefire. “Artists for ceasefire! Peace in the world!” she called out from the stage.
Last year, two men appeared on stage wearing yellow ribbon pins to show solidarity with the hostages still in Gaza and their families: Creative Community for Peace Co-Founder Steve Schnur, who is worldwide executive and music president at Electronic Arts, and Creative Community For Peace Advisory Board member Doug Davis, an attorney and founder of the Davis Firm.
They were accepting a Grammy on behalf of the late, former US president Jimmy Carter, who won the award posthumously for the audiobook version of his memoir, titled A Full Life: Reflections at Ninety. Also accepting the Grammy award were Carter’s grandson, Jason Carter, and author Kabir Sehgal, who did not wear yellow ribbon pins.
The focus of the 2025 awards, other than music, was the California wildfires that swept through the state, killing over 30 and displacing thousands of residents.