One of the most critically acclaimed albums that dropped in 2020 came from singer Fiona Apple and her Fetch the Bolt Cutters. The project was her first full-length work in nearly seven years and it became her second-highest charting album after it debuted at No. 4 on the Billboard 200. Fetch the Bolt Cutters was also responsible for three Grammy nominations at this year’s awards in the categories of Best Alternative Music Album, Best Rock Performance, and Best Rock Song, with the latter two coming from her “Shameika” track. While the show could prove to be a big night for her, Apple revealed she will not be in attendance.
“It’s not because I’m trying to protest, even though I have problems with the Grammys, it’s not because of that,” Apple said in a video posted on her friend Zelda Hallman’s Instagram account. “It’s really because I don’t want to be on national television — I’m just not made for that kind of stuff anymore. I want to stay sober and I can’t do that sober — it doesn’t feel safe to me to be under exposure, scrutiny, comparison to people. I can’t.”
She added that “there’s been lots of questions about the transparency of the Grammys, and I feel like that’s important, but it’s not important.”
“What really really is undeniably important is the transparency in actual court rooms,” she concluded. Apple asked fans to sign a petition that aims to keep court rooms virtual, especially in Prince George’s County Maryland, where she serves as a court watcher.
You can watch the video in the post above.