André 3000, Sara Bareilles Receive Honorary Degrees at Berklee College of Music Commencement
GRAMMY-winning artist and auteur André Benjamin — best known as André 3000 — and GRAMMY winner, Emmy- and Tony-Award nominated activist, actress, singer, songwriter, and producer Sara Bareilles have received…
NEW YORK, NEW YORK – MAY 05: André 3000 attends the 2025 Met Gala Celebrating “Superfine: Tailoring Black Style” at Metropolitan Museum of Art on May 05, 2025 in New York City. (Photo by Jamie McCarthy/Getty Images)
GRAMMY-winning artist and auteur André Benjamin — best known as André 3000 — and GRAMMY winner, Emmy- and Tony-Award nominated activist, actress, singer, songwriter, and producer Sara Bareilles have received honorary degrees from Boston's Berklee College of Music. The honorary degrees were presented to them during the Class of 2025 commencement ceremonies on Saturday, May 10.
Benjamin is a nine-time GRAMMY winner who visited Berklee during the fall of 2024 while touring with his ambient jazz work "New Blue Sun." He has been recognized for his work in fashion, film, fine arts, and music.
Addressing the graduating class, Benjamin shared childhood memories and talked about his earliest influences in music. He reflected on hearing Joe Jackson's song "Steppin' Out" and shared his insights with the graduating class.
“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,” he said in remarks shared in a 7 News Boston report.
NEW YORK, NEW YORK - MAY 07: Sara Bareilles speaks onstage during The New York Times Well Festival 2025 at Duggal Greenhouse on May 07, 2025 in New York City. (Photo by David Dee Delgado/Getty Images for The New York Times)
Bareilles is a two-time GRAMMY winner who has sold 3 million albums in the United States. In her remarks, Bareilles discussed her most challenging moments and triumphs.
“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 urged the graduates, “Whatever you do, keep telling your truth to the world. That's what makes you an artist.”
