Kehlani used their first Grammy win to make a bold political statement.
The singer took home Best R&B Performance for their hit song “Folded” and closed their acceptance speech by urging fellow artists to speak out against injustice.
“Everybody is so powerful in this room,” Kehlani told the audience. “Together we’re stronger in numbers to speak against all the injustice going on in the world right now.” They added, “I hope everybody is inspired to join together as a community of artists and speak out against what’s going on. And I’m going to leave this and say, f–k ICE.”
“I hope that everybody is inspired to join together as a community of artists, and speak out against what’s going on… F*CK ICE”
— Ahmed/The Ears/IG: BigBizTheGod (@big_business_) February 1, 2026
-Kehlani at the #GRAMMYs pic.twitter.com/Vna9JH15oT
Kehlani also won Best R&B Song for “Folded,” which was released in June 2025 and quickly became a fan favorite. The track peaked at No. 6 on the Billboard Hot 100 in November, marking the singer’s first top 10 hit. Ahead of a performance on Jimmy Kimmel Live!, Kehlani told fans their “gratitude is endless.”
The artist has long been vocal about political issues. In 2024, Kehlani made headlines for their pro-Palestinian remarks, which later led to the cancellation of a planned Central Park concert due to security concerns.
“We strongly and emphatically believe in artistic expression of all kinds,” the organization wrote via Instagram. “However, the safety and security of our guests and artists is of the utmost importance and in light of these concerns, the concert has been cancelled,” Kehlani informed her fans that she, too, learned of the cancellation via social media.
