BOSTON (WHDH) - More than 1,500 graduates from 75 countries and all 50 US states came together to celebrate at the Agganis Arena in Boston on Saturday for Berklee College of Music’s 2025 commencement ceremon.
At the event, Ron Savage, Berklee vice president and executive director, and Berklee President Jim Lucchese presented honorary doctorates to two iconic artists: Grammy-winning artist and auteur André Benjamin—best known as André 3000—and Grammy winner and Emmy- and Tony-Award nominated singer, songwriter, actor, producer, activist, and author Sara Bareilles.
Benjamin, a nine-time Grammy winner who visited Berklee last fall while on tour with his ambient jazz opus, New Blue Sun, was recognized for his work in music, film, fine arts, fashion, and more, influencing the cultural landscape on a global scale.
In his address to the graduating class, Benjamin reflected on memories from his childhood and his earliest influences in music, recalling when he heard Joe Jackson’s song “Steppin’ Out.” At that moment, he felt the song was about “stepping out to the future” and how it made him feel. He offered advice to the class of 2025, saying, “People will talk about you, good and bad, you will feel good and bad, but none of it matters. Once you’ve done what you have to do, that’s the work. Everything else is chatter—it doesn’t contribute to what you’re doing. Always keep your original reason [for] doing music, that original feeling you got when you heard the music as a kid. Always keep the original feeling on why you’re making music.”
Bareilles, a two-time Grammy winner who has sold three million albums in the United States and received Primetime Emmy and Tony Award nominations for her performances, praised the graduating class for their tremendous concert tribute the previous evening.
In her remarks, Bareilles discussed her hardest moments and triumphs with the graduating class. “I was struggling with severe anxiety that I didn’t talk about for a very long time…it created this sensation of a trap door—like I was always afraid of falling,” she said. “Music became my home because it was the opposite of a trap door; it was solid earth—it was steady and infinite, and I could trust it completely. And over time, I learned that not only was it not a trap door, but it was a trampoline.” She emphasized the value of honesty and vulnerability in art, saying, “Whatever you do, keep telling your truth to the world. That’s what makes you an artist.”
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