Kelly Rowland Backs JAY-Z’s Grammy Speech: “He Made A Lot Of Artists Feel Seen”
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One thing about Kelly Rowland, she’s going to have her family’s back.
During the premiere of Bob Marley: One Love on Tuesday (Feb. 7), Rowland was asked about Jay-Z’s hard-hitting speech that took place during the 66th annual Grammy Awards. Showing an affinity for his sentiments, the Destiny’s Child member admitted that she was “proud of him.”
“Shawn Carter is one of the greatest men I know. His words ring so loud to me and I couldn’t be more proud of him,” she praised her brother-in-love to ET. “I’m just really happy for a lot of things that he said. I think he made a lot of artists feel very seen and very heard in those minutes that he took on stage. It’s really a big moment when you go to the Grammys as a kid, you’re voted for by your peers, and you’re not thinking of everything else that’s attached to it. That’s like the peak of career.”
Upon accepting the Dr. Dre Global Impact Award, Jay spoke on how biased the Grammys has become, also claiming that some artists “shouldn’t even be in some of the categories.” He also took the moment to declare why his wife, Beyoncé, has deserved Album of The Year in her career — although she’s never won the award. And for the record, Bey is the most awarded and nominated artist in Grammy history with 32 wins and 88 nominations.
Speaking to Bey’s succes, Rowland echoed, “I feel like she is an icon… and that’s for a reason — it’s because she starts trends. She is innovative, her thoughts are big and bright and she just jumps for them and does it. I think that her albums are a reflection of that, and it should be really celebrated in that way.”
She unbiasedly added, “I’m not saying that because it’s my sister, I’m saying it because it’s the truth. I’ve seen the blood, sweat and tears that she puts into these projects, and her thoughts and her heart and her passion and her soul.”
On Tuesday (Feb 6), Mathew Knowles gave his reasoning for why he believes his daughter hasn’t won AOTY, blaming her label, Columbia Records.
“People don’t know the process. Your record label can only appoint one person in a category,” he told TMZ Live. “So that means her record label—I’m gonna call you out, Columbia Records—her record label has never really put her in that category for consideration.”
He also recalled Bey’s Lemonade losing to Adele’s 25 in 2017, as the British songstress is also a Columbia Records signee.
“I mean, there’s a financial reason. Maybe Adele sold more records worldwide? I don’t know these answers. But these are some of the thought processes that they go through. Maybe you say, ‘You know, Beyoncé has her success. Here’s an opportunity to push Adele, so let’s push her.’”
Columbia Records artist Harry Styles also won Album of the Year for Harry’s House, over Beyoncé’s Renaissance.
Take a look at Kelly Rowland defending Jay-Z’s speech above.
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