Jared Leto’s AMAs Speech Calls For Peace In The Wake Of Paris Attacks

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Published

November 23, 2015

The 2015 American Music Awards have proven to be a curious thing.

It was a show where Taylor Swift somehow won Song Of The Year for Blank Space (when Bad Blood is obviously the banger the world needed), and Ariana Grande took out the top spot in the Favourite Female Artist stakes.

On the other hand, the show’s finale also saw Justin Bieber continue his soggy but totally unironic ascent back to the top of pop-culture relevancy.

All the feels have been Un-leashed thanks to @justinbieber‘s @TMobile Finale performance #AMAsUnleashed pic.twitter.com/fjJmmWEWRy

— AMAs (@TheAMAs) November 23, 2015

Much like the world’s half-lol, half-srs take on the impending Bieberaissance, the AMAs are no strangers to smashing up the most saccharine pop-culture sensibilities with unexpected earnestness – and doing it bloody well.

Take Jared Leto’s speech: On paper, delivering a personal, emotive tribute to the victims of the Paris attacks in-between appearances from, like, most of the world’s existing boybands seems… off, ya know?

Still, the dude spoke not so much as another pop-culture talking-head, but as a guy in a band who once played a gig in the Bataclan:

“Earlier this year my band 30 Seconds To Mars was wrapping up a tour in Europe, and we were looking for an excuse to stop off in one of our favourite cities in the world, Paris.

We decided to play a little impromptu show at a classic venue called the Bataclan. It was beautiful, peaceful, and unforgettable.

What a difference a day makes.”

Leto moved on to describe his former colleagues present during the attacks: Steve Toth and Matt McJunkins, who survived; Thomas Ayad, who did not.

“Tonight, we honour the victims of the unimaginable violence that has taken place this year in Paris, and around the world. France matters. Russia matters. Syria matters. Mali matters, the Middle East matters, the United States matters, the entire world matters, and peace is possible.”

Pretty legit, for what could have been a total fluff-fest.

Jared Leto and Celine Dion just made the AMA’s more than a music awards show. It’s great that they could honor France in such a way

— Caleb Leggett (@CableHasLeggs) November 23, 2015

Watch the full bit below:

With a moving speech, @JaredLeto introduces a very special #AMAs performance by @celinedion. https://t.co/Q4CRvbav5v

— AMAs (@TheAMAs) November 23, 2015

Story via Twitter.

Image: Frazer Harrison via Getty.