Former first lady Michelle Obama made a surprise appearance at the Grammy Awards on Sunday night and talked about how music has “always helped me tell my story.”
Obama appeared on stage alongside Lady Gaga, Jada Pinkett Smith, Jennifer Lopez, and host Alicia Keys.
“From the Motown records I wore out on the South Side —” Obama began, but was immediately drowned out by thunderous applause from the crowd.
After sustained applause, Obama laughed and said, “All right you all, all right, we got a show to do.”
“From the Motown records I wore out on the South Side, to the ‘who run the world’ songs that fueled me through this last decade, music has always helped me tell my story. And I know that’s true for everybody here,” Obama said.
“Whether we like country, or rap or rock, music helps us share ourselves — our dignity and sorrows, our hopes and joys,” the former first lady continued. “It allows us to hear one another, to invite each other in.”
“Music shows us that all of it matters, every story within every voice, every note within every song — is that right ladies?” Obama asked, looking around at the women on stage with her.
Obama’s recently published memoir, “Becoming,” quickly became a best-seller and has become one of the most popular books of the decade. Obama has sold out arenas on her massive international book tour, where she has been interviewed on stage by Oprah Winfrey, Reese Witherspoon, Sarah Jessica Parker and former Obama senior adviser Valerie Jarrett, among others.
Obama posted on Twitter after the Grammy appearance, “A big part of friendship is showing up for your girls—that’s why I was thrilled to be there for the one and only @aliciakeys at the #GRAMMYs. She is one of the most genuine and thoughtful people I know—there’s no one better to help us all celebrate the unifying power of music!”
