Alicia Keys, 2025 Grammys. Photo:
Kevin Winter/Getty
Alicia Keys had a strong and inspiring message to share at the 2025 Grammys.
On Sunday, Feb. 2, the “If I Ain’t Got You” singer, 44, was honored with the Dr. Dre global impact award at the annual ceremony, held at the Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles.
“I’ll give it up for the Queen, ultimate trailblazer,” Keys began, accepting the award from Queen Latifah, before speaking about the importance of creativity: “This is not the time to shut down the diversity of voices we’ve seen on this stage.”
Alicia Keys accepts the Dr Dre Global Impact Award alongside her son on stage during the 2025 Grammys. VALERIE MACON/AFP via Getty
She referred to her peers as “hard-working people from different backgrounds with different points of view,” adding that the combination “changes the game.”
“DEI [diversity, equity and inclusion] is not a threat, it’s a gift,” Keys said.
Her speech was seemingly aimed at President Donald Trump speaking out against DEI policies — with him recently insinuating that diversity initiatives could be to blame for the deadly plane and helicopter collision in Washington, D.C. last week.
Check out all of PEOPLE’s full Grammys coverage here.
Keys continued, “And the more voices, the more powerful the sound. When destructive forces try to burn us down, we rise from the ashes like a phoenix, and as you see tonight, music is the unstoppable language that connects us all.”
“It’s so beautiful,” the Grammy winner said, asking viewers to “keep showing up with compassion, with empathy, what I call soul care.”
“Keep opening the doors. The dreams that the world is ought to be, a dream that the world as is ought to be, as the great Toni Morrison said,” the “Fallin’” singer said of the late award-winning novelist and editor.
During her acceptance speech, Keys also thanked Dr. Dre, whom she referred to as her “brother,” for creating “a sound that began a movement.”
Keys also thanked her community — producers like her husband Swizz Beatz, Dr. Dre and the late Quincy Jones.
Alicia Keys, 2025 Grammys. Kevin Winter/Getty
Next, she thanked the women who paved the way, naming Patrice Rushen, Missy Elliott, Linda Perry, Grimes, Solange “and so many more.”
“We stand together,” Keys declared.
“From her timeless music to her unwavering dedication to uplifting others, Alicia has made an indelible impact on the world,” Recording Academy CEO Harvey Mason Jr. said in a statement.
“Alicia embodies everything the Dr. Dre Global Impact Award represents — her artistry knows no bounds, her advocacy inspires meaningful change, and her influence has profoundly shaped culture. We are honored to celebrate her extraordinary legacy and the transformative contributions she continues to make in music and beyond.”
Keys also won the Grammy for best musical theater album for Hell’s Kitchen, a Broadway play loosely based on her life.
The Grammys are broadcasting live from Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles on CBS or stream them live and on-demand on Paramount+.
