Annie Lennox calls for Gaza ceasefire during emotional Sinead O'Connor tribute at Grammys

The Artists for Ceasefire movement began at the end of last year, in response to the Israel-Gaza war

Scottish artist Annie Lennox ended her performance at the 2024 Grammy Awards with a plea for peace in Gaza.

Raising her fist into the air, the singer-songwriter, 69, proclaimed, “Artists for ceasefire. Peace in the world,” a proclamation that was met with cheers from the star-studded audience.

Lennox, who first rose to international fame with her Eurythmics hit Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This) in 1983, performed Nothing Compares 2 U as part of the ceremony's In Memoriam montage, in honour of her late friend, the Irish singer Sinead O'Connor.

O'Connor, who was herself a vocal political activist throughout her career, died at the age of 56 last July.

Lennox called O'Connor a “truth teller” in her statements following the artist's death.

The Artists for Ceasefire movement began in the final months of last year, in response to the Israel-Gaza war, with a number of prominent musicians, actors, filmmakers and other multidisciplinary artists co-signing a message to US President Joe Biden demanding an end to the conflict and greater focus on humanitarian aid.

“We come together as artists and advocates, but most importantly as human beings witnessing the devastating loss of lives and unfolding horrors in Israel and Palestine,” says the statement on the collective's website, last updated on January 24.

Some of the prominent figures who have added their names to the list include Ben Affleck, Jennifer Lopez, Jenny Ortega, Bella Hadid, Yara Shahidi and Andrew Garfield.

“We ask that, as President of the United States, you and the US Congress call for an immediate de-escalation and ceasefire in Gaza and Israel before another life is lost. More than 25,000 people have been killed over the last three months, and over 60,000 injured – numbers that any person of conscience knows are catastrophic.

“We believe all life is sacred, no matter faith or ethnicity and we condemn the killing of Palestinian and Israeli civilians,” the statement reads.

The statement goes on to call for all world leaders to expedite an immediate ceasefire, the release of all hostages and help aid reach those in need in Gaza.

“We stand for freedom, justice, dignity and peace for all people – and a deep desire to stop more bloodshed,” the statement continues. “We refuse to tell future generations the story of our silence, that we stood by and did nothing. As emergency relief coordinator Martin Griffiths told UN News, ‘History is watching.’”

Lennox was not the only artist to show support for the movement at the Grammys. The members of the indie supergroup Boygenius – Phoebe Bridgers, Julian Baker and Lucy Dacus – wore matching white suits on the red carpet each adorned with a red Artists For Ceasefire pin.

Baker is one of the co-signees of the statement on the collective's website, but Bridgers and Dacus's names were not previously listed.