Take courage, for the worst is a
harbinger of the best. Only dire
circumstance can precipitate the
overflow of oppressors. The old &
corrupt must be laid to waste
before the just can triumph.
Contradiction will be heightened.
The reckoning will be hastened by
the staging of the seed disturbances.
The apocalypse will blossom."
Jenny Holzer
Last night on the Grammys' red carpet, musicians wore white roses in honor of the Time's Up movement. Similar to everyone wearing black to the Golden Globes, the white roses represented solidarity amongst everyone that attended the event. Instead of dawning a white rose to the award show, Lorde chose to have a Jenny Holzer handwritten poem sown onto the back of her gorgeous red dress. This poem is not only beautiful but extremely relevant and speaks volumes as to where we are today as a society.
Lorde was the only female artist nominated for album of the year. Her album Melodrama has been critically acclaimed and adored by many. I've written many times about how much I love it as well. Not only did Lorde not win her category but many viewers of the three and a half hour telecast noticed how there was only one woman who took the stage to accept a major award. #GrammysSoMale became a hashtag on Twitter, reflecting the lack of female representation in the night's winners.
When asked by Variety why there were significantly more male musicians and artists being given awards during the telecast, Recording Academy president Neil Portnow had this to say:
"It has to begin with… women who have the creativity in their hearts and souls, who want to be musicians, who want to be engineers, producers, and want to be part of the industry on the executive level… [They need] to step up because I think they would be welcome."
This is an interesting answer given how some of the most memorable performances of the night were by female musicians. Lady Gaga, Rihanna with DJ Khaled, Miley Cyrus with Elton John, Cardi B with Bruno Mars, and the most powerful performance of the whole show, Kesha (with an equally powerful introduction by Janelle Monáe), showed a range of talented women in the music industry. All of these women, along with Lorde, Andra Day Lana Del Rey, Sza, Beyoncé, who were all in attendance, as well as all of the other female artists who are climbing the charts, continue to prove that women are capable of creating music that people are will listen to and love.
In that same article, Variety also quoted Grammys Producer Ken Ehrlich saying, "Hopefully we'll see Taylor Swift next year," when asked whether or not Swift's appearance at the award show would have made a difference. Grammys producers shouldn't have to rely on Taylor Swift to represent females in the music industry, when in fact she only represents a small portion of the talented female performers and songwriters.
Jenny Holzer's poem was written in the late seventies, early eighties. Her powerful language strikes a chord of what needs to take place in order for change to occur. We are living in a time that is filled with reckoning as we begin to recognize our past mistakes and move forward in hopes of equality. Women raising their voices and speaking their truths is a part of the movement we're seeing across the nation and around the globe. These are the seeds of disturbances that will make way for an apocalypse that will blossom a brighter reality for future generations.
Last night on the Grammys' red carpet, musicians wore white roses in honor of the Time's Up movement. Similar to everyone wearing black to the Golden Globes, the white roses represented solidarity amongst everyone that attended the event. Instead of dawning a white rose to the award show, Lorde chose to have a Jenny Holzer handwritten poem sown onto the back of her gorgeous red dress. This poem is not only beautiful but extremely relevant and speaks volumes as to where we are today as a society.
Lorde was the only female artist nominated for album of the year. Her album Melodrama has been critically acclaimed and adored by many. I've written many times about how much I love it as well. Not only did Lorde not win her category but many viewers of the three and a half hour telecast noticed how there was only one woman who took the stage to accept a major award. #GrammysSoMale became a hashtag on Twitter, reflecting the lack of female representation in the night's winners.
When asked by Variety why there were significantly more male musicians and artists being given awards during the telecast, Recording Academy president Neil Portnow had this to say:
"It has to begin with… women who have the creativity in their hearts and souls, who want to be musicians, who want to be engineers, producers, and want to be part of the industry on the executive level… [They need] to step up because I think they would be welcome."
This is an interesting answer given how some of the most memorable performances of the night were by female musicians. Lady Gaga, Rihanna with DJ Khaled, Miley Cyrus with Elton John, Cardi B with Bruno Mars, and the most powerful performance of the whole show, Kesha (with an equally powerful introduction by Janelle Monáe), showed a range of talented women in the music industry. All of these women, along with Lorde, Andra Day Lana Del Rey, Sza, Beyoncé, who were all in attendance, as well as all of the other female artists who are climbing the charts, continue to prove that women are capable of creating music that people are will listen to and love.
In that same article, Variety also quoted Grammys Producer Ken Ehrlich saying, "Hopefully we'll see Taylor Swift next year," when asked whether or not Swift's appearance at the award show would have made a difference. Grammys producers shouldn't have to rely on Taylor Swift to represent females in the music industry, when in fact she only represents a small portion of the talented female performers and songwriters.
Jenny Holzer's poem was written in the late seventies, early eighties. Her powerful language strikes a chord of what needs to take place in order for change to occur. We are living in a time that is filled with reckoning as we begin to recognize our past mistakes and move forward in hopes of equality. Women raising their voices and speaking their truths is a part of the movement we're seeing across the nation and around the globe. These are the seeds of disturbances that will make way for an apocalypse that will blossom a brighter reality for future generations.
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