By Cady Lang
While the MTV Video Music Awards were chock full of show-stopping moments like Drake and Rihanna’s kiss and Beyoncé’s performance of the entire Lemonade album, one of the highlights of the night was a more pared-down (but just as powerful) offering from Alicia Keys.
The “In Common” singer took the stage, bare-faced and beautiful, to deliver a moving tribute to Martin Luther King, Jr. on the 53rd anniversary of his “I Have a Dream” speech, in the form of a poem. The singer’s poem, which includes the lines, “Maybe we could love somebody/Maybe we could care a little more” later turned into an a capella song.
See her full performance below.
More Must-Reads From TIME
- Why We're Spending So Much Money Now
- The Fight to Free Evan Gershkovich
- Meet the 2024 Women of the Year
- John Kerry's Next Move
- The Quiet Work Trees Do for the Planet
- Breaker Sunny Choi Is Heading to Paris
- Column: The Internet Made Romantic Betrayal Even More Devastating
- Want Weekly Recs on What to Watch, Read, and More? Sign Up for Worth Your Time
Write to Cady Lang at cady.lang@timemagazine.com