Brooke Axtell Shares Details On Katy Perry Grammy Performance & Thoughts On Chris Brown

Brooke Axtell at the 2015 Grammys (Getty)

Brooke Axtell delivered a powerful spoken-word reading ahead of Katy Perry’s performance at the Grammys on Sunday night.

On Monday, the activist came to Access Hollywood to share her Grammys experience, starting with when she met the “By the Grace of God” singer.

“[Katy and I] met for the first time during rehearsals,” Brooke told Access’ Kit Hoover. “It was so powerful, just in our initial run-through.”

After the actual performance, Brooke said she spoke with Katy.

“She just said she was really happy with the way it went and how really glad [she was] that we were able to do this,” Brooke shared.

As an activist/survivor of domestic violence and other types of abuse, Brooke isn’t used to seeing throngs of celebrity faces in the crowd. How did she keep her nerves at bay?

“My passion comes from the work that I do as an advocate, so when I stepped onto the stage I was thinking about all of the women that I’d advocated for over the years, all the survivors that have walked with me, and the activists who have joined me in this movement,” she said. “I had the opportunity to be a voice last night, but I don’t stand alone. I come from a vast community of activists and survivor leaders who are creating this cultural change.”

And for her, the performance has already garnered a response.

“In the time between last night and this morning, I have had women contact me from all over the nation asking how they can leave if they want to leave abusive relationships. And they want to know how,” she said.

If someone wants to get out of an abusive relationship, Brooke said there are vast resources easily available.

“The first step is to confide in someone you trust, who is not invested in you maintaining that relationship. So, somebody who has the objectivity to bear witness with compassion and encourage you to seek help. If you don’t have that kind of person in your life, I absolutely recommend calling a domestic violence hotline, looking on the internet for the crisis center in your area,” she said. “The National Domestic Violence Hotline is a wonderful place to begin — they can connect you to resources in your area. Also, on my website I have an entire page of resources that addresses both domestic violence and sexual violence, as well as human trafficking.”

Brooke also shared her thoughts on convicted domestic abusers like Chris Brown being celebrated at music’s biggest night.

“On a level, it makes sense in that the Grammys are there to focus on what they believe is artistic merit, and they’re not making decisions based on what they believe to be the ethical standards of the individual artists, so that’s not the criteria for judgment,” she said. “But at the same time, I can empathize with survivors who feel that there is a dissonance there.

“Ultimately, I feel like it’s our responsibility as an audience, as consumers to be very clear about what artists we will support, based on what we value,” she continued. “And from my standpoint, I think an important part of activism is being very clear about what you will fund, what you will elevate.”

Erin O’Sullivan

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