Alicia Keys says ‘DEI is not a threat, it’s a gift’ in powerful speech
Alicia Keys was presented with the Dr. Dre Global Impact Award at the 2025 Grammys.
Queen Latifah presented Keys with the honor, calling her “a global force.”
In her acceptance speech, Keys gave a shoutout to female musicians like Missy Elliott, Linda Perry and more, saying, “I always had to fight for a certain level of respect as a songwriter, composer, and especially a producer. It’s strange that we don’t think of women as producers like Quincy or Dre or Swizzy, but female producers have always powered the industry.”
Alicia Keys accepts the Dr Dre Global Impact Award from Queen Latifah during the 67th Annual Grammy Awards in Los Angeles on Feb. 2, 2025.
She continued, “This is for all the ladies that know the magic that they bring to the room. This is not the time to shut down the diversity of voices. We have seen on this stage talented, hardworking people from different backgrounds with different points of view, and it changes the game.”
“DEI is not a threat. It’s a gift,” she said. “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.”
She added, “So, let’s keep showing up with compassion, with empathy. What I call soul care. Keep opening the doors … a dream of the world as it ought to be, as the great Toni Morrison said.”
