Stay up to date with notifications from The Independent

Notifications can be managed in browser preferences.

Grammys 2017: Katy Perry made a subtle nod to Senator Elizabeth Warren

The star hit the Grammys stage with a pantsuited live performance of her new single, 'Chained to the Rhythm'

Clarisse Loughrey
Monday 13 February 2017 05:48 EST
Comments
Katy Perry has 'PERSIST' written across arm of outfit for Grammys performance

Your support helps us to tell the story

From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.

At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.

The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.

Your support makes all the difference.

Though the political flavouring of this year's Grammys was more subdued than some might hope, the evening was still filled with its share of statements and gestures aimed against Trump or in support of his opposers.

Performing alongside A Tribe Called Quest, Busta Rhymes called out "President Agent Orange for perpetuating all the evil that you’ve been perpetuating throughout the United States"; while multiple artists continued to call out the deeply-embedded issues of lacking diversity within the Grammys, following the boycott by several high-profile artists including Frank Ocean, Kanye West, and Drake.

Katy Perry, whose been known for establishing an increasingly political public persona after hitting the campaign trail in support of Hillary Clinton, performed her newest single 'Chained to the Rhythm'; itself somewhat of a reflection of the political climate in lines such as, "so comfortable we're living in a bubble/ too comfortable we can't see the trouble".

The artist utilised the performance to pay tribute to Senator Elizabeth Warren - silenced on the Senate floor, though she fought hard to let her criticisms of Jeff Sessions be heard - by wearing an armband reading, "Persist". Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell stated at the time, "She was warned. She was given an explanation. Nevertheless, she persisted."

At the end of her performance, a graphic of the US Constitution appeared behind her as she declared, "no hate"; joined onstage by Skip Marley, who's featured on 'Chained to the Rhythm'.

Grammys 2017: Pregnant Beyonce delivers moving performance

Adele walked away the big winner from the night, though she utilised her speech to instead dedicate the award to "my artist of my life Beyoncé", before ripping the award in half to share it with her.

You can read the full list of winners here.

Join our commenting forum

Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies

Comments

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in