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Volodymyr Zelenskyy asks for support at Grammys, trolls say ‘sounds like a deepfake’

Zelenskyy appeared on a screen and also announced John Legend’s performance on the song ‘Free’ and was hailed for the historic moment

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy might not have appeared at the Oscars 2022 as earlier rumored, but the 64th edition of the Grammys made sure his message of peace and freedom reaches out to the world. Zelenskyy, sought support for his country and spoke at the Grammys in a pre-taped speech from what appeared to be a bunker in Kyiv.
 
The 44-year-old appeared on a screen and also announced John Legend’s performance on his new song ‘Free’ as the coveted award ceremony paid a tribute to Ukraine. The country is currently in the middle of a war with Russia ever since President Vladimir Putin kickstarted a “special military operation” on February 24. Zelenskyy, in his speech, asked everyone to support in any way they could instead of staying silent. 
 
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‘Our musicians wear body armor instead of tuxedos’

Addressing his powerful speech to the audience present at the 64th Grammys, Zelenskyy began, “What is more opposite to music? “The silence of ruined cities and killed people. Our children draw swooping rockets, not shooting stars”. He continued, “Over 400 children have been injured and 153 children died. And we’ll never see them drawing. Our parents are happy to wake up in the morning in bomb shelters, but alive.”
 
He added, “Our loved one don’t know if we will be together again. The war doesn’t let us choose who survives and who stays in eternal silence. Our musicians wear body armour instead of tuxedos. They sing to the wounded in hospitals, even those who can’t hear them. But the music will break through anyway”, further stating, “We defend our freedom. To live. To love. To sound. On our land, we are fighting Russia, which brings horrible silence with its bombs. The dead silence. Fill the silence with your music. Fill it today, to tell our story. Tell the truth about this war on your social networks, on your TV.” The Ukrainian President concluded, “Support us in any way you can. Any – but not silence. And then peace will come. To all our cities the war is destroying – Chernihiv, Kharkiv, Volnovakha, Mariupol and others. They are legends already, but I have a dream of them living and free. Free like you on the Grammy stage.”

‘Leave politics out of the Grammys’

Zelenskyy’s speech got a mixed bag of reactions as one of the users stated, “Why does this sound like a deepfake”. Another user claimed, “He sounds so creepy.” Whereas, one person added, “Propaganda in the grammys... that is LOW.” The next one shared, “Leave politics out of the grammys.” One stated, “Whoever is writing speeches for Zelenskiy - it’s a very top drawer.” Meanwhile, another tweeted, “Remarkable in every way. Brilliant writing, by the way.”
 
Another said, “Perfectly spoken. I hope the invasion is over soon.” One emotional user stated, “Heartbreaking. Grateful to the Grammys for doing this” as, another mentioned, “Bravo #GRAMMYs for allowing what the Academy Awards were too feckless and cowardly to do: give Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy a platform to speak to the free world.” One concluded, “Good on @RecordingAcad for including @ZelenskyyUa & his plea for all of us not to be silent on  atrocities happening in #Ukraine. We must listen. We must speak up & #StandWithUkraine.”
 

The 64th Grammys aired on CBS at 5 pm ET on April 3, 2022.