The 61st annual Grammy Awards was a fun night filled with a variety of performances, surprise appearances, and speeches getting cut short.
There was Michelle Obama interlocking arms with Lady Gaga, Jada Pinkett Smith, host Alicia Keys, and Jennifer Lopez. And Diana Ross performing and iconically wishing herself a happy birthday (which is a BIG mood any day of the week).
But of course, the best parts of the night were Lady Gaga's stellar, meme-worthy performance of "Shallow" and her new title as a now-9-time Grammy winning artist. And a little disclaimer: I've been a Lady Gaga stan since the "Just Dance" days.
But with this conflict of interest in how I saw the Grammys aside, as the queen herself accepted her award for Best Musical Duo for "Shallow," Gaga made an important plea for something seldom talked about: mental health.
"If you see somebody that's hurting, don't look away," Gaga said. "And if you're hurting, even though it might be hard, try to find that bravery within yourself to dive deep and go tell somebody and take them up in your head with you."
As anyone who's followed my time here on "Odyssey" knows, mental health awareness is something very dear to my heart. Losing someone as a result of suicide and entering a society that values comparing ourselves to others over our personal well-being, I believe that mental health is a virtue that we should prioritize to the highest degree.
For Gaga, someone whose music has genuinely helped me through the past decade, to say something so explicit and personal about mental health is truly powerful. While her acceptance speech isn't necessarily a new proverb, to say something as simple as what she did is a reminder that in today's busy world, we need to take time to look after ourselves and each other.
Gaga's speech should be a wake-up call for all of us in that we are all in this crazy thing called life together. A lot of people admire Gaga for her uniqueness, talent, and her well-spokenness on the issues that always slip our minds.
And given what we've seen of her at this year's Grammys, it's easy to see why, and why I stan her so much.
Oh.....and by the way, go see "A Star is Born" if you haven't already!