Ukraine’s president Volodymyr Zelensky surprised everyone at the Grammy’s on Sunday April 3rd, impeling for support to his nation and requested the music industry’s big artists to “fill the silence” created by war with music. Volodymyr Zelensky gave his pre-recorded speech ahead of a performance by popular singer John Legend. Legend took the stage and performed a song called “Free”, he was joined by a Ukrainian singer named Mika Newton, musician Siuzanna Iglidan and poet Lyuba Yakimchuk.
In his address, Zelensky said, “What is more opposite to music? The silence of ruined cities and killed people. Our musicians wear body armor instead of tuxedos. They sing to the wounded in hospitals — even to those who can’t hear them. But the music will break through anyway. We defend our freedom to live, to love, to sound. On our land, we are fighting Russia, which brings horrible silence with its bombs. The dead silence. Fill the silence with your music, fill it today to tell our story.”
Currently, Russia is facing huge condemnation and widespread outcry at the global level, recently mass graves and dead bodies were uncovered by the media in cities and towns around Kyiv. Volodymyr Zelensky’s appearance came at the biggest ceremony in America’s music industry. Time and again Zelensky has accused Russian military for the slaughter and torture of Ukrainian civilians. In his Grammy’s speech, Zelensky stated, “Tell the truth about the war on your social networks, on TV. Support us in any way you can — any, but not silence. And then peace will come. To all our cities the war is destroying — Chernihiv, Kharkiv, Volnovakha, Mariupol and others: They are legends already, but they have a dream of them living, and free. Free like you, on the Grammy stage.”