From Sabrina Carpenter and Chappell Roan to Taylor Swift and Billie Ellish, the Grammys is a jam-packed night filled with a celebration of the past year’s popular songs, artists, and collaborations. Airing live on CBS from Los Angeles, the show was hosted by comedian and writer Trevor Noah. Noah had the perfect balance of hilarious commentary and heartfelt sympathies throughout the show.
Despite the horrific recent events of the wildfires in L.A., the show prevailed in hopes to raise awareness for their local community. The Recording Academy has joined MusiCares in establishing the Los Angeles Fire Relief Effort. The Los Angeles Fire Relief has already raised $4 million for approximately 3,000 members of the music community impacted by the fires.
Many artists were seen wearing a Musicares blue heart ribbon while strutting on the red carpet in solidarity with those affected by the fires. The Grammys have also worked with the California Community Foundation, Direct Relief, and the Pasadena Community Foundation. Some of the CBS commercials throughout the night highlighted small businesses impacted by the wildfires. Los Angeles firefighters joined the stage to share a message towards the end of the programming.
The show opened with the song “I Love L.A.” by Randy Newman performed by a dynamic group of artists such as Brad Paisley, John Legend, Sheryl Crow, Brittany Howard, Dawes, and St. Vincent.
One of the first numbers of the night was by the Best Pop Vocal Album winner Sabrina Carpenter who performed a mashup of her hit songs “Espresso” and “Please Please Please”. Sabrina gave off Old Hollywood vibes with her show-girl performance style. From her voluminous curls to the leotard tuxedo turned bejeweled bodysuit, the whole performance was perfect.
The Best New Artist of the Year Chappell Roan delivered an eccentric debut performance of “Pink Pony Club” featuring an actual pink pony and rodeo clown backup dancers. Chappell illuminated on stage as the modern Gen-Z Lady Gaga. In her Grammys acceptance speech, she proudly criticized Record Labels for failing to provide healthcare to their musical artists.
Taylor Swift presented the award for Country Album of the Year to Beyonce. Beyonce was in the lead for most nominations this year with a total of 11. First year Marisa Thorne has shared her feelings about Beyonce’s win. “Beyonce does not deserve to win the best country album of the year for Cowboy Carter. She has no real stake in country music. She just got tired of the genre she is in and wanted something else to conquer”.
There was a mashup performance of the best new artist nominations: Benson Boone, Doechii, Teddy Swims, Shaboozey, and Raye. Benson Boone started out his performance in a traditional black and white suit, but transformed into a blue sparkly jumpsuit. Boone busted out his signature move on stage: the backflip. Doechii performed “Denial is a River” with an army of dancers. Teddy Swims rocked the stage with his hit “Lose Control”. Shaboozey started with his song “Good News” that led into the classic “A Bar Song (Tipsy)”. Raye slayed her performance of “Oscar Winning Tears” in an operatic tone.
Wicked star Cynthia Erivo paid tribute to the legendary Frank Sinatra by singing “Fly Me to the Moon” in a very timeless fashion. Her voice sounded like pure honey. Boho Country girl boss Lainey Wilson performed “Let the Good Times Roll” in memory of Quincy Jones.
Personally, my favorite win of the night was “Die With A Smile” by Lady Gaga and Bruno Mars. Gaga and Bruno are my two childhood music legends.
Chris Martin paid tribute by singing Coldplay’s “All My Love” for the memoriam section of the night. I know many “Directioner” stags felt particularly sentimental at the opening segment of the memoriam highlighting Liam Payne, displaying clips of him and the rest of One Direction all together.
A surprising turn in the night was Kendrick Lamar’s winning of Record of the Year, presented by Miley Cyrus, and Song of the Year, presented by Diana Ross, for “Not Like Us,” his diss track of Drake. Viewers were shocked that he received two awards for the same song.
Alicia Keys well-deservedly won the Dr. Dre Global Impact Award for being a visionary in her field and inspiring other musical artists. Keys was recognized for her outstanding contribution as a composer to the musical “Hell’s Kitchen”.
The last winner to take home the gold was Beyonce for Album of the Year “Cowboy Carter”. This caused a lot of uproar on social media, especially Tik Tok. Many people felt that artists such as Taylor Swift or Billie Ellish had more of an impactful album nominated. First year Emily Flynn stated “I think there should be a bigger variety of winners. I feel that Beyonce’s album was not as authentic as other artist’s albums.” First Year Olivia Stolar shared a similar sentiment “People should have won for different categories to give others more opportunities”.
The Grammys was a night filled with joy, remembrance, and recognition. The award show was a testament to L.A.’s strength and community-building during a time of despair. The show had the right mixture of light-heartedness and seriousness. Each performer shined in their own unique ways. Whether you agree with the winners or not, hopefully it was a fun watch. If you missed it, you can check out clips of the night on YouTube!
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