Benson Boone’s on-stage crotch grab had Grammys viewers talking after the Fireworks & Rollerblades artist dealt with an “aggressively restricting” outfit during his Sunday, Feb. 2 performance.
Taking to the stage at Los Angeles’ Crypto.com Arena for the ceremony’s Best New Artist medley, the 22-year-old Grammy-nominated singer-songwriter had audience members Heidi Klum and Nikki Glaser rip off his suit and tie to reveal a skin-tight blue jumpsuit with a plunging neckline as he launched into a performance that included a rendition of “Beautiful Things” and numerous gravity-defying flips.
Videos by PopCulture.com
At the end of his performance, Boone thanked the audience while pulling down the crotch of his jumpsuit, prompting strong reactions online. “benson boone fully adjusting his crotch on live tv,” one person wrote with a surprised GIF, as another added, “whys nobody talking about benson boone just grabbing his crotch like that onstage why did he do that with cameras still on him.”
Boone was quick to respond to the conversation surrounding his wardrobe malfunction, taking to his Instagram Story later that night to share a tongue-in-cheek apology alongside a close-up selfie of his face. “Sorry for adjusting my jumpsuit so aggressively on stage tonight that thing was aggressively restricting in certain areas,” the American Idol alum wrote over the photo.
The “In the Stars” artist earned his first Grammy nomination this year for Best New Artist alongside Billie Eilish, Charli XCX, Chappell Roan, Doechii, RAYE, Sabrina Carpenter and Teddy Swims.
Roan ended up the Best New Artist Grammy winner, calling on record labels to do better for their artists in a stirring acceptance speech. “I told myself that if I ever won a Grammy and got to stand up here before the most powerful people in music, I would demand that labels in the industry profiting millions of dollars off of artists would offer a livable wage and health care, especially developing artists,” she said. “I got signed so young, I got signed as a minor. When I got dropped, I had zero job experience under my belt, and like most people, I had … quite a difficult time finding a job in the pandemic and [could not] afford insurance.”
“It was devastating to feel so committed to my art and feel so betrayed by the system and dehumanized,” Roan continued. “If my label had prioritized it, I could have been provided care for a company I was giving everything to. Record labels need to treat their artists as valuable employees with a livable wage and health insurance and protection.” She finished her speech, “Labels, we got you, but do you got us?”
