The Grammy Revolution
Posted At: January 27, 2014 2:13 p.m.
by Myreete Wolford
We are in the midst of a revolution. A bold and beautiful, strong and loud revolution through Twitter.
This isn’t about beliefs or religion. This isn’t an argument for or against gay marriage. This is about the power of communication and social media.
Last night, 26.7 million viewers tuned in to watch the 56th Annual Grammy Awards. For almost four hours, the usual array of musical awe, industry memories and an under-rationed amount of awards was displayed and millions of tweets were racked up.
Social media interaction about the 2014 show ranged from normal to elevated during the show. That is, until, Macklemore & Ryan Lewis and the beautiful Mary Lambert took the stage for their always-passionate performance of “Same Love.”
Just as The Grammys would have it, a mash-up of artists, giving a nod to their art, joined the piece — but this nod to art came in a different form. In the middle of the number, the music paused and Queen Latifah appeared through a neon, cathedral altar. At that moment, history was made as she began to ordain a 33-couple-strong wedding. The ceremony officiated a mixture of transgender, same-sex, heterosexual and interracial marriages, and ended with Madonna singing the wedding song and Katy Perry catching a bouquet.
(To view the performance on CBS: The Grammys 2014 – Macklemore “Same Love” Performance and Queen Latifah Wedding)
Needless to say, Twitter blew up. To quote the tweet of Ross Matthews of E! News, “This was a game changer.” Trending worldwide with 1.6 million tweets, #Macklemore, #SameLove and #Grammys all seemed to be interchangeable.
Last night, Macklemore & Ryan Lewis won four Grammys, including Best New Artist. The two led the industry in support for gay marriage. Today, communication liberation ensues fueled by a performance. This movement has taken hold because of communication. A list of artists and celebrities like Lady Gaga, Chelsea Handler, Britney Spears, Macklemore and more has opened up the conversation, and now it is up to us to continue it.
If you did not see it, you are missing a “game changer.” If you did, you understand. It’s your time to stand up for what you believe. Twitter is your platform to make your game change. Tweet it out.
This isn’t about gay activism; this is about communication and the strength of our words.
