Annie Lennox performs at the Grammys, shortly before her call for a cease-fire. Photo by Kevin Winter/Getty Images for The Recording Academy

By PJ Grisar February 4, 2024

In the first major awards season statement about the Israel-Hamas war, singer Annie Lennox ended her tribute performance of Sinead O’Connor’s  “Nothing Compares 2 U” by raising her fist and saying, “Artists for cease-fire. Peace in the world.”

Lennox, known for her activism, was previously married to Israeli film producer Uri Fruchtmann, with whom she has two daughters, who she has described as “half-Israeli.” She has been a vocal critic of Israel, referring to the country’s actions in Gaza during the 2008 and 2009 war as a “pornography of destruction,” and marched in antiwar demonstrations at the time.

Lennox’s Instagram page has been sharing many posts of scenes from Gaza; her most recent was a censored photo of a person appearing to lie dead while cats surrounded the body.

“The situation is beyond anything I’ve ever known, or would ever wish to know,” Lennox wrote. “I am devastated and heartbroken by everything that’s taking place.”

Prior to Lennox’s statement, awards shows like the Golden Globes and Emmys had been short on statements about the war, which began after Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack. Some celebrities, like Succession’s J. Smith-Cameron, were seen sporting yellow ribbons to raise awareness for the hostages held in Gaza.

At the Grammys, Boygenius, who won awards before the televised ceremony, were seen wearing pins with an insignia for the group Artists4Ceasefire. On the red carpet, social media personality and singer-songwriter Montana Tucker, whose grandparents were Holocaust survivors, wore a large yellow ribbon with the words “Bring Them Home,” a reference to the hostages in Gaza, on the front. Later in the evening, Harvey Mason Jr., CEO of the Recording Academy, mentioned the victims of the Supernova music festival while a quartet, revealed to be musicians of Israeli, Palestinian and Arab descent, played together.

Many viewers noted that they felt it was apt that Lennox made this statement while paying tribute to O’Connor, whose career faced challenges after she tore up a picture of the Pope during an SNL performance and who once planned a concert for peace in Israel. The man who led the charge for that concert’s cancellation — O’Connor faced death threats from right-wing Israelis — was none other than a then-21-year-old Itamar Ben-Gvir, now Israel’s minister of national security.

Update: This post has been updated to add details about Harvey Mason Jr.’s speech.

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