Diversity, colour, motherhood: Adele and Beyonce show they will not be contained

Hello from the outside

At least I can say that I've tried

These lines from Adele's Grammy-winning song sum up what she did at the ceremony this year. The 59th Annual Grammy Awards held in Los Angeles on February 12 saw English singer and songwriter Adele walk away with five awards.

As she took the stage she applauded and cheered American singer Beyoncé in her speech and said,

"The Lemonade album, Beyoncé, was so monumental, and so well thought out, and so beautiful and soul-bearing. And we all got to see another side of you that you don't always let us see, and we appreciate that. And all us artists adore you. You are our light. And the way that you make me and my friends feel, the way you make my black friends feel, is empowering, and you make them stand up for themselves. And I love you. I always have. And I always will."

Adele was very vocal about her feelings on the matter of race and keeping people of colour on the sidelines.

“I feel like it was [Beyoncé’s] time to win. My view is: what the fuck does she have to do to win Album of the Year?”

Adele's shout-out to Beyoncé shows that women are not only supportive of each other's success but also leaving no opportunity to make their voices heard.

Given the upheaval America is going through and the challenges women face from the Trump administration, the need to talk, speak, and express has multiplied.

Pregnant with twins, Beyoncé set the stage on fire with her performance and walked away with the Best Urban Contemporary Album award. In her acceptance speech, she highlighted the need for diversity and a better world for children. She said,

"My intention for the film and album was to create a body of work that would give a voice to our pain, our struggles, our darkness, and our history. To confront issues that make us uncomfortable."

"It’s important to me to show images to my children that reflect their beauty, so they can grow up in a world where they look in the mirror, first through their own families — as well as the news, the Super Bowl, the Olympics, the White House, and the Grammys — and see themselves, and have no doubt that they’re beautiful, intelligent, and capable. This is something I want for every child of every race. And I feel it’s vital that we learn from the past and recognise our tendencies to repeat our mistakes."

Adele too highlighted how motherhood took a toll on her but how it has been the biggest blessing of her life. "It's really hard (being a mother)" she said.

....and not be contained...sang Beyoncé during her performance.

Yes, that is what both these women artists and mothers showed — they will not be contained — and it is a call that women across the globe must echo.