kesha

Janelle Monae introduced Kesha's performance with a moving #TimesUp speech at Grammys (watch)

Janelle Monae

Celebrities wore white roses to the 2018 Grammys in solidarity with the #Metoo and #TimesUp movements, and Janelle Monae also took the stage to give a very moving speech about women and sexual misconduct in the music industry. She said:

Tonight I am proud to stand in solidarity, as not just an artist, but a young woman with my fellow sisters in this room who make up the music industry. Artists, writers, assistants, publicists, CEOs, producers, engineers and women from all sectors of the business. We are all daughters, wives, mothers, sisters and human beings. We come in peace, but we mean business. And to those who would dare try and silence us, we offer you two words: Time’s Up. We say Time’s Up for pay inequality. Time’s Up for discrimination. Times up for harassment of any kind, and Time’s Up for the abuse of power. Because you see, it’s not just going on in Hollywood. It’s not just going on in Washington. It’s right here in our industry as well. And just as we have the power to shape culture, we also have the power to undo the culture that does not serve us well.

So let’s work together, women and men, as a united music industry committed to creating more safe work environments, equal pay, and access for all women.

Janelle’s speech was introducing a performance by Kesha, whose battles with sexual assault against producer Dr. Luke informed her latest album Rainbow. Kesha performed “Praying” off that album, joined by Cyndi Lauper, Andra Day, Bebe Rexha, Camila Cabello and Julia Michaels. Watch video of Kesha’s performance and Janelle Monae’s speech, below.