On Sunday, February 4th, 2024, the 66th Annual Grammy Awards were held in Los Angeles. The Grammy Awards, the “Superbowl” for music listeners, was a three-and-a-half-hour show hosted by Trevor Noah and was filled with performances and awards.
To allow more time for performances, many awards were announced before the show began. During the pre-show awards, the Beatles won their first Grammy since 1997 for their music video for “I’m Only Sleeping.” Boygenius won Best Rock Album, and Kylie Minogue won Best Pop Dance Recording for “Padam Padam.” A new category for Best African Music Performance was made this year, making Tyla the first winner for her song “Water.”
The night opened with Dua Lipa performing a medley of “Training Season,” “Dance The Night,” and “Houdini.” Her performance was very elaborate, including crawling around a metal jungle gym. Her upbeat performance was a fun and exciting way to kick off the Grammys.
Billie Eilish performed her heartbreaking song “What Was I Made For” from the movie “Barbie” alongside her brother Finneas. Later that night, Eilish won Best Song of the Year and Best Song Written for Visual Media. These two additions contribute to Eilish’s total of nine Grammy awards.
Jon Batiste performed alongside Jimmy Jam, Terry Lewis, Ann Nesby, and Cory Henry in a beautiful memorial segment where the audience honored the recently deceased musicians who have impacted the music industry and all of our lives. Following the memorial, multi-grammy-winner Fantasia Barrino took the stage for a cover of Tina Turner’s famous “Rolling on the River.”
Some other performances included Burna Boy, Joni Mitchell, Kirk Franklin, Luke Combs, SZA, Olivia Rodrigo, Miley Cyrus, and more. These performances gave the audience and viewers at home a chance to dance and sing along to their favorite songs. However, some viewers felt there were too many performances and wished more awards were handed out on screen rather than during the pre-show.
Many artists won their first Grammy awards at this year’s ceremony. The leading Grammy nominee, SZA, won Best R&B Song for “Snooze.” Eight-time nominee Miley Cyrus won her first two Grammys for Best Pop Solo Performance and Best Record for her song “Flowers.” Karol G won her first Grammy for Best Música Urbana Album for her album “Mañana Será Bonito.”
This year, many viewers were very conflicted about who they believed should get the Best New Artist award. The nominees included Gracie Abrams, Victoria Monét, Fred Again.., Ice Spice, Jelly Roll, Coco Jones, Noah Kahan, and The War and Treaty. Victoria Monét took the award home and gave a beautiful, inspirational speech to young singers.
Twenty-four-time Grammy winner and 88-time nominee rapper Jay-Z took home the Dr. Dare Impact Award for his successful career. This award honors the legacy of musicians who have left the industry. Jay-Z brought up his daughter, Blue Ivy, on stage as he delivered his acceptance speech.
Toward the end of the night, legend Billy Joel performed his new song “Turn the Lights Back On.” This was a special occasion because Joel had not released new music for 17 years, and now he is back to making new music for his loyal fans.
The night ended with singer Taylor Swift winning her fourth Best Album award for her album “Midnights.” Earlier in the night, Swift won Best Pop Vocal Album making her now a 14-time Grammy winner. In her acceptance speech for Best Pop Vocal Album, Swift announced her new album “The Tortured Poets Department,” shocking ‘Swifties’ worldwide. When she accepted the Grammy for Best Album, she set a new record for being the only person to win four Grammys for this award.
The 66th Grammy Awards was a great way for music listeners to celebrate their favorite artists. The fun-filled night of performances left viewers happy and excited for what this year has in store for the music industry.