THE GRAMMY AWARDS this weekend were not without their fair share of political statements. Artists like Olivia Dean, Billie Eilish and Bad Bunny all had Donald Trump’s ICE in their sights. 

Accepting her award for song of the year, Eilish said, “I feel so honoured every time I get to be in this room, and as grateful as I feel, I honestly don’t feel like I need to say anything.

“But that no one is illegal on stolen land… It’s just really hard to know what to say and what to do right now, and I just, I feel really hopeful in this room, and I feel like we just need to keep fighting and speaking up and protesting, and our voices really do matter, and the people matter.” 

The protest speeches were met with applause, and came on the back of months of tension after the controversial conduct of ICE in Minnesota, in particular. The controversial lifting of hundreds of people of colour under the guise of immigration enforcement by ICE, mixed with the wrongful deaths of two protesters at the hands of ICE officers, has inflamed tensions in the US. 

Olivia Dean, Bad Bunny and Billie Eilish made statements at the Grammys. Alamy Alamy

Artists’ speeches are one thing, but what about the use of songs as protest? Last week, Bruce Springsteen released a surprise song, hastily recorded to commemorate the Minnesota ICE murders. The Boss has a long history of socially conscious music, but ‘Streets of Minneapolis’ is perhaps the closest he has ever come to a protest record.

This intervention comes off the back of Springsteen’s Land of Hope and Dreams tour last year, where he made unprecedented attacks on the Trump administration from the stage, urging audiences to “raise your voices against authoritarianism and let freedom ring.”

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'The Boss' Bruce Springsteen released a protest song against Trump's ICE. instagram / springsteen instagram / springsteen / springsteen

The English singer-songwriter Billy Bragg has similarly released a response to the events of Minneapolis, ‘City of Heroes’, while the American folk singer, Jesse Welles, just a few months prior released ‘Join Ice’, a criticism of the wider actions of the organisation.

None of these songs would win plaudits for their artistry. Yet, as one commentator........

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