One performance from the 65th Annual Grammy Awards this past Sunday by Sam Smith and Kim Petras sparked angry responses from viewers who labeled it as “demonic” because of its heavily satanic themes.
The pair, who were able to win the 2023 Grammy award for best pop duo/group performance for the song “Unholy,” were seen bathed in red light while a fire raged as the backdrop.
Smith sported a hat with horns and was surrounded by a large number of dancers carrying “props that had allusions to BDSM themes,” read a report from The Hollywood Reporter. The song highly “praises Balenciaga,” highlighted social media influencer Ian Miles Cheong via a tweet that showed a picture f the lyrics for the song.
In the song Sam Smith is singing in the clip above, Unholy, he praises Balenciaga. pic.twitter.com/F3gVhNakRj
— Ian Miles Cheong (@stillgray) February 6, 2023
Known to be a biological male, Petras stated in the wake of the highly controversial performance, “I think a lot of people, honestly, have kind of labeled what I stand for and what Sam stands for as religiously not cool.”
“And I personally grew up wondering about religion and wanting to be a part of it, but then slowly realizing it doesn’t want me to be a part of it,” continued Petras. “So it’s a take on not being able to choose religion and not being able to live the way that people might want you to live, because, you know, as a trans person, I’m kind of already not wanted in religion.”
The entire performance sparked extreme backlash on the web as quite a few viewers expressed that the show ended up going way to far.
“I know we on the right probably use the word satanic too often but this performance from Sam Smith is literally a tribute to Satan,” exclaimed write Ben Kew in a post to social media.
The controversy sparked a response from one Political commentator, Liz Wheeler, who stated via a tweet, “Don’t fight the culture wars, they say. Meanwhile demons are teaching your kids to worship Satan. I could throw up.”
Yet another Political commentator, Robby Starbuck, chimed in to exclaim, “People like Sam Smith who love to mock Christianity and use Satanic themes always think they’re super edgy artists by doing it. In reality it’s not edgy. It’s boring, vile, rehashed shock tactics that Hollywood seals clap for because they’re evil & stupid.”
