In the wake of Wednesday’s election results, artists Billie Eilish and Sabrina Carpenter each took a moment during their concerts to address the pain and fear felt amongst many of their audience members. From different parts of the country, they each sought to create a sense of “peace”: In Tennessee, Eilish told her crowd “you’re safe with me, and you’re protected here,” while in Washington, Carpenter wished for a “moment of safety.”
At Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Eilish introduced her song “TV” with a short speech about women and abuse. “The song that we’re about to do is…about the abuse that exists in this world upon women,” she said. “I’ve dealt with some stuff myself, and I’ve been taken advantage of, and I have been—y’know, my boundaries were crossed, to say it lightly. And now a person who is a—let’s say convicted predator, let’s say that…someone who hates women so, so deeply is about to be the president of the United States of America. And so this song is for all the women out there. I love you. I support you.”
In Seattle, Carpenter—who registered 35,814 voters ahead of the 2024 presidential election through her partnership with HeadCount, more than any other artist—also took a moment to process the re-election of President Donald Trump. “Life is so unfortunately crazy right now,” she told her audience. “And so for everybody in here to come here to escape, I hope we can be a moment of peace for you, a moment of safety.” She then added, “Sorry about our country.”
Finally, she addressed the women and girls in her crowd directly, telling them, “I love you so, so, so, so, so much. And I really hope for the rest of this night that you can enjoy yourselves because you absolutely deserve it.”
Cre: ELLE
