Alicia Keys Grammys Opening Monologue Speech Transcript: Tribute to Kobe Bryant

Alicia Keys: (00:00)
Here we are, together on music’s biggest night, celebrating the artists that do it best. But to be honest with you, we’re all feeling crazy sadness right now because earlier today, Los Angeles, America, and the whole wide world lost a hero. And we’re literally standing here heartbroken in the house that Kobe Bryant built. Right now, Kobe, and his daughter Gianna, and all of those that have been tragically lost today are in our spirit. They’re in our hearts. They’re in our prayers. They’re in this building. And I would like to ask everybody to take a moment and just hold them inside of you. Hold them inside of you, and share our strength and our support with their families. We never imagined in a million years we’d have to start the show like this. Never, never, never, never, never, never. So we wanted to do something that could describe a tiny bit how we all feel right now.

Alicia Keys: (01:42)
(singing) It’s so hard to say goodbye to what we had. The good times that made us laugh outweigh the bad.

Boyz II Men: (01:48)
(singing) And I’ll take with me the memories to be my sunshine after the rain. It’s so hard, bye, day.

Alicia Keys: (01:48)
(singing) Hard to say goodbye to yesterday.

Alicia Keys: (02:58)
We love you Kobe. Boyz II Men. Thank y’all so much. Thank you. And I know that we’re going to do what we’re here to do. I know that we’re going to all join together and do what we do in happy times and challenging times. We’re going to sing together. We’re going to laugh together. We’re going to dance together. We’re going to cry together. We’re going to bring it all together. We’re going to love together and we’re going to make sure that we are celebrating the most powerful energy, the most beautiful thing in the world. The one thing that has the power to bring all of us together, and that’s music. So, it’s the most healing thing in the world.