A week ago Sean Penn threatened to smelt his Oscar if the Academy Awards did not include a segment with Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky, whose country remains under siege by Vladimir Putin's Russia. Presumably Penn's award has now been smelted because the Oscars did not feature Zelensky. The Grammys, however, paused halfway through to air a video message from Zelensky, followed by a musical tribute from (who else) John Legend.
"The war. What's more opposite to music?" Zelensky began. "The silence of ruined cities and killed people." He later urged his listeners, "Fill the silence with your music. Fill it today to tell our story." After Zelensky's address, Legend debuted his new single "Free," released today, accompanied by three Ukrainian performers: musician Siuzanna Iglidan, singer Mika Newton, and poet Lyuba Yakimchuk.
Watch Zelensky's speech and the ensuing performance below.
https://twitter.com/ViralMaterial/status/1510797765919485954
https://twitter.com/ariaischic/status/1510798729225596928
