Beyoncé and Kelly Rowland lifted every voice inside of Shell Energy Stadium in Houston, Texas, to empower voters to cast ballots “to sing a new song” on Friday (Oct. 25).

The rally in support of Vice President Kamala Harris and her running mate, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, saw thousands of people fill the venue hours before the entertainers and 2024 presidential candidate stepped onto the stage.

Election Day, Nov. 5, is two weeks away, with the Lone Star State being one of the key battle grounds Democrats hope will chart a new path away from a history of voting Republican and denying former President Donald J. Trump a second chance at leading the country.

The overarching theme of the evening was reproductive freedom. Texas is one of several states that banned abortions after six weeks; the procedure may still be performed during medical emergencies. The ban came in the wake of the 2022 Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade, a pivotal case that gave women the right to terminate a pregnancy in 1973.

Rowland, impassioned by the cause, spoke first. She said that voters were witnessing “a moment with weight and meaning for our country, for our people and for the world. A moment, Houston, where grab back the pen from those who are trying to write an American story of division and hatred. A moment, when we grab back the pen from those who are trying to write an American story of misogyny and racism. We are grabbing back the pen from those who are trying to write an American story that will deny the right for women to make our own decisions about our bodies.” Her words were met with thunderous applause throughout the speech.

The roar of support grew louder when Beyoncé stepped to the mic. The global icon shared that “we are at the precipice of an incredible shift. The brink of history,” adding that despite her star power, she was “not here as a celebrity. I’m not here as a politician. I’m here as a mother. A mother who cares deeply about the world my children and all of our children live in. A world where we have the freedom to control our bodies. A world where we’re not divided. Our past, our present [and] our future merged to meet us here.”

Doubling down on her support of Harris and reproductive rights, she noted, “Your freedom is your God-given right, your human right... It’s time to sing a new song, a song that began 248 years ago. The old notes of downfall, discord, [and] despair no longer resonate,” Beyoncé said. “It’s time for America to sing a new song. Our voices sing a chorus of unity. They sing a song of dignity and opportunity.”