Music’s Biggest Night, the Grammy Awards
Music’s biggest night, The 64th Grammy Awards, took place in Los Angeles on April 3rd. Billie Eilish, Lil Nas X, Olivia Rodrigo, and BTS were just a few of the performers at the star-studded event, with Trevor Noah hosting once again. This year’s Grammy Awards were not one to disappoint, with multiple well-deserved nominations and performances. Lately, however, the credibility of the Grammys have been questioned by many.
Recently, the Grammys have been facing a lot of backlash for suspected favoritism. This scandal has come to light mostly in the past year. Artists such as The Weeknd, ZAYN, Nicki Minaj, and Drake have all mentioned their displeasure towards the Grammys and their system of nominations. A tweet from The Weeknd last year reads, “The Grammys remain corrupt. You owe me, my fans and the industry transparency…”.
Although the validity of this remains to be proven true, many people seem to be skeptical of the award show. Last year (and this year as well), “#SCAMMYS” was trending on Twitter before the Grammy awards. Many fans – especially the BTS Army, used this hashtag to spread how they believed the Grammys were ‘using’ performers such as BTS just for views. The Grammys have yet to speak up about both of these situations.
Controversies aside, the Grammys are perhaps most commonly known for their lively performances. This year was no different. The opening act was Silk Sonic, who didn’t disappoint a bit. Performing their hit song 777, Bruno Mars and Anderson Paak set the stage on fire, to kick off the award show.
Other amazing performances came from BTS who performed their new hit Butter (and did a few magic tricks along with singing), Lil Nas X who performed Montero and Industry Baby with Jack Harlow, and Billie Eilish who performed her new title track Happier Than Ever. Personally, my favorite performance was that of Olivia Rodrigo.With a wonderful rendition of her hit song, Driver’s License Rodrigo did not disappoint at her first Grammys.
Not only did Rodrigo impress with her performance, she also took home three of the coveted awards for best new artist, best pop vocal album, and best pop solo performance. But there were more awards to come, including but not limited to the two most anticipated awards of the night ‘Song of the Year’ and ‘Album of the Year’.
For ‘Song of the Year’, nominees included : Ed Sheeran’s Bad Habits, Alicia Keys and Brandi Carlile’s A Beautiful Noise, Olivia Rodrigo’s driver’s license, H.E.R.’s Fight For You, Billie Eilish’s Happier Than Ever, Doja Cat and SZA’s Kiss Me More, Silk Sonic’s Leave The Door Open, Lil Nas X’s Montero (Call Me By Your Name), Justin Bieber’s Peaches, and Brandi Carlile’s Right On Time.
For ‘Album of the Year’, nominees included : Jon Batiste’s We Are, Tony Bennett and Lady Gaga’s Love For Sale, Justin Bieber’s Justice, Doja Cat’s Planet Her, Billie Eilish’s Happier Than Ever, H.E.R.’s Back of my Mind, Olivia Rodrigo’s Sour, Taylor Swift’s Evermore, and Kanye West’s Donda.
The build-up was suspenseful and the excitement in the room as Trevor Noah opened the envelopes was palpable. Silk Sonic ended up winning ‘Song of the Year’ for Leave the Door Open. Coming shortly after, Jon Batiste ended up winning ‘Album of the Year’ for We Are.
One of the audience favorite moments at yesterday’s performance was the tribute to Ukraine, led by John Legend. Ukraine’s president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, even made a special video which was displayed at the Grammys. Legend’s performance followed, while many Ukrainian artists and poets also added to it. This was a very wise way to draw attention to the problems of the world, and a good move by the Grammys.
Overall, the 64th Grammy Awards were not one to disappoint. The performances, awards, and celebrity interactions were delightful to watch. Trevor Noah, once more, proved his hosting forté by providing excellent feedback and making relatable jokes every once in a while. Everything about this year’s award show was excellent, and definitely a step-up from last year. Although this year’s award show just concluded, it has left viewers eagerly awaiting the next one!
