The ‘Firework’ singer performed her song ‘By the Grace of God’ during the award show Sunday night.
Katy Perry stopped the show and brought light to domestic violence Sunday during her Grammy performance.
The “Roar” singer performed “By the Grace of God” with a special guest, Brooke Axtell, a domestic violence survivor.
Before the act began President Obama gave a statement about how influential artists can be to helping encourage victims of domestic abuse get help and change thinking.
“Artist have a unique power to change minds and attitudes,” the President said.
Axtell then took to the stage and did a spoken-word piece about her experience as a victim of domestic violence.
“Authentic love does not devalue another human being,” she said to the audience. “Authentic love does not silence shame or abuse.”
“It's an honor to collaborate with Katy in this way,” the Austin-based activist recently toldPeople. “She has been very devoted to various aspects of female empowerment. It's going to bring a lot of encouragement and freedom to those who hear my story and know that they are not alone in this."
After Axtell shared her story about her dangerous past relationship, Perry, 30, took the stage in front of a white screen wearing an all-white dress with what appeared to be her shadow behind her.
As she began to sing the shadow proved to be several dancers who were performing behind the white screen.
Despite the noble message, the production was overshadowed by the sight of Chris Brown, who was convicted of assaulting his pop star girlfriend Rihanna just before the 2009 Grammys, in the audience.
“No. We didn’t. And we wouldn’t because really it wouldn’t be appropriate for the Academy to build a show based on conversations with each artist about what else we might be doing," Recording Academy CEO Neil Portnow told the Daily News backstage when asked if Rihanna had been informed about the Axtell segment."I think artists have enough respect for us and know that what we’re going to be doing is first rate, first class. Not everybody is going to be comfortable or agree with the creative content, but that’s what makes it a great show.”
As for Axtell herself, she seemed less bothered by the idea of Brown's presence.
“I think that we’re in a stage in the movement for social justice when we are in desperate need of having male allies, and that means that part of that is confronting within our own communities in a powerful and honest way when violence occurs, and making sure that we’re providing interventions for both those who have abused and those who have been abused," she told the News. "I think it’s an important part of the conversation because it doesn’t help to stigmatize somebody for their own struggle around this issue. But we have to have accountability and we have to have a platform to speak the truth."