SZA walked into the 2026 Grammy Awards at the top of her game, collecting trophies and praise in a room built to celebrate her. Yet even as she smiled for cameras, she kept circling back to a darker reality outside the arena, where immigration raids and street violence were unfolding in real time. That split screen is what she later described as “incredibly dystopian,” a surreal clash between red carpet glamour and people “getting snatched up and shot in the face.”
Her comments did more than puncture the mood of a glitzy night. They turned a standard victory lap into a pointed critique of how entertainment can float above crisis, and they pushed the Grammys into a broader conversation about ICE, state violence, and what it means to celebrate while the world feels like it is coming apart.
The Night SZA Won Big And Spoke Up
On paper, SZA had every reason to lean into pure celebration. After winning two trophies at the 68th Grammy Awards, she joined the ranks of the night’s biggest winners, adding to a career already stacked with critical and commercial milestones. In clips shared from the ceremony, she is seen accepting honors like Best R&B performance for “Snooze,” a song that fans and presenters alike framed as a defining R&B moment, and she now holds a growing total of Grammys that cements her as one of the most decorated artists of her generation. The stage was set for a straightforward feel-good story about a star finally getting her flowers.
Instead, SZA used that spotlight to talk about the world outside the Crypto.com Arena. In backstage interviews and on social media, she described how surreal it felt to celebrate accolades while, in her words, people were “getting snatched up and shot in the face” and communities were dealing with heightened ICE activity and violence. In one widely shared video, she said it was “incredibly dystopian” to be at the Grammys while people were being targeted in the streets, a sentiment captured in detailed reporting on her remarks. The contrast between her professional high and the chaos she described became the emotional core of her night.
“Incredibly Dystopian” In Her Own Words
SZA did not soften her language when she tried to explain that feeling. In one backstage exchange, she said it was “incredibly dystopian” to be celebrating at the Grammys while “people are getting snatched up and shot in the face,” a line that quickly traveled across social feeds and was later quoted in coverage that highlighted how bluntly she spoke about the moment. That same conversation captured her frustration with Immigration and Customs Enforcement, as she linked the glimmering award show to reports of people being detained and families separated, a connection detailed in accounts of her comments. She framed the whole scene as a kind of moral whiplash, where the industry’s self-congratulation sat uncomfortably beside real fear and instability.
Her critique did not stop at describing the mood. SZA also leaned into a more direct political stance, saying “it’s always fuck ICE,” a phrase that echoed through coverage of how she and others used their time onstage to call out immigration enforcement. Reports on her speech noted that she was speaking against ICE in the context of ongoing raids and attacks, tying her personal discomfort at the ceremony to specific state actions. In another recap of the night’s most controversial speeches, her remarks were grouped with other artists who used the Grammys to denounce government policies, with one summary explicitly flagging “Sza Says It, Incredibly Dystopian, Be Celebrating, Grammys While” as part of a broader wave of political stands that stirred both praise and outrage, as captured in a rundown of controversial speeches.
ICE, Violence And A Grammy Stage Turned Soapbox
The tension SZA described did not come out of nowhere. Her language about people being “snatched up” and the world feeling unstable landed in a week marked by reports of immigration raids and street attacks, which she referenced directly when she said it felt wrong to celebrate while communities were dealing with ICE activity and violence. One Instagram reel that circulated after the show captured her saying she had “a lot to celebrate at the Grammys” but that it was hard to ignore “people getting snatched up and shot face on the street,” a moment preserved in a clip that highlighted her discomfort with partying in parallel with ICE activity. That framing turned what might have been a generic “thoughts and prayers” nod into a pointed indictment of the gap between the industry’s bubble and the streets outside.
She was not alone in that stance. Coverage of the ceremony noted that SZA was “echoing” other performers when she said “it’s always fuck ICE,” placing her in a loose coalition of artists who used their acceptance speeches to respond to immigration raids and violence. One report on the night’s political moments described how she and others were responding to the moment, not just with vague calls for unity but with explicit criticism of ICE. Another detailed breakdown of her speech quoted her saying “SZA, Says It, Incredibly Dystopian, Be Celebrating, Grammys While, People Are Getting Snatched Up and Shot,” underscoring how tightly she linked the spectacle of the show to the brutality she saw in the news, a connection that was further unpacked in a focused piece on her backstage remarks.
“It’s Always Fuck ICE” And A Chorus Of Resistance
When SZA said “it’s always fuck ICE,” she was tapping into a sentiment that had already been building among artists, but she delivered it with a clarity that cut through the usual awards-show politeness. One detailed recap of the night’s speeches noted that she explicitly tied that phrase to the raids and attacks happening while the Grammys were underway, framing her stance as a refusal to pretend the outside world did not exist. That same coverage pointed out that she was joined by other performers who also called out ICE, turning what might have been isolated remarks into a kind of informal protest set to a Grammy soundtrack.
Kehlani was one of the artists mentioned alongside SZA, with reports noting that Kehlani used their own time onstage to condemn ICE, reinforcing the sense that immigration enforcement had become a central target of the night’s political energy. Another standout moment came when Bad Bunny picked up the Grammy for Best Música Urbana Album and simply said “ICE out,” a phrase that was highlighted in coverage of the show’s most charged lines and linked directly to the same wave of criticism SZA was voicing. In that context, her “it’s always fuck ICE” line did not land as a lone outburst but as part of a chorus, one that also included Billie Eilish and others who, according to detailed recaps, did not mince words about their own opposition to ICE. Another report on the same theme emphasized that SZA, ICE, Grammys, Kehlani, and other names were all part of a single narrative about artists using their platforms to push back on immigration enforcement, a thread that was laid out in detail in a piece that grouped their speeches together.
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