Amid backlash over the appointment of Sriram Krishnan to a role in the Donald Trump administration, Canadian singer Grimes, former partner of Elon Musk, has spoken out against racist remarks targeting the Indian community.

Grimes, whose real name is Claire Boucher, took to X (formerly Twitter) to condemn the online hostility. “Suddenly concocting anti-Indian energy out of nowhere is embarrassing y’all. Also, they were clear they planned to do this,” she wrote.

Grimes revealed her personal connection to Indian culture, sharing that she grew up in a multicultural household after her mother married Ravi Sidhoo, a director at Vancouver-based East India Carpets. “My stepdad’s Indian. I had a fire childhood in a half-Indian household. Indian culture jives very well with Western culture,” she stated, emphasizing the cultural fusion that shaped her upbringing.

The singer highlighted the broader economic ties between the U.S. and India, pointing out the benefits of job creation from increased collaboration. She also critiqued America’s tendency to flood India with gadgets, stating, “We’ve already flooded India with American gadgets, causing them problems. But if we had sent more companies, they would’ve benefitted through job creation.”

Addressing the social media uproar, Grimes encouraged her followers to resist toxic online narratives and acknowledged the psychological toll of negative comments. “It’s good to remember negative comments feel louder and more numerous,” she said. She urged people to challenge the primal fears triggered by social media, describing it as “important to fight the monkey brain impulses that social media seeks to trigger.”

The controversy unfolds against the backdrop of debates surrounding U.S. immigration policies, including the H1B visa program that allows skilled foreign workers to live and work in the country. Grimes’ comments have sparked discussions about multicultural integration and the role of immigrants in shaping global economies.