The music industry’s most highly anticipated event of the year commenced on Feb. 1. If you didn’t watch it, if you only watched half of it, or if you were on your phone the whole time with the performances as background noise, here’s what you missed.
The 68th Annual Grammys ceremony opened with Rosé and Bruno Mars’ performance of their hit song, “APT,” followed by the usual theatrical performance from Sabrina Carpenter with her hit single, “Manchild.” Fans speculate the airline theme hinted at tour dates on the arrivals board throughout the performance.
As for awards, it’s only right to start with the “Big 6” categories. These categories include Best New Artist, Song of the Year, Record of the Year, Songwriter of the Year, and Producer of the Year.
This year, we got back-to-back performances from all of the Best New Artist nominees. Lola Young surprised us with her stripped rendition of her Grammy-nominated song, “Messy,” on the piano. Olivia Dean stunned in a dazzling red dress while performing her song “Man I Need,” alongside her band. And Alex Warren somehow pulled it all together for his chart-breaking song “Ordinary,” even after the audio mistake at the beginning of his performance (I think we all felt the devastation from our couches; he did great!)
The full list of nominees includes Young, Dean, Warren, Addison Rae, The Marias, and sombr. However, it was Dean who took home her first Grammy as Best New Artist, presented by last year’s winner Chappell Roan.
Song of the Year included nominated songs from our favorite pop stars, such as Carpenter’s “Manchild,” Lady Gaga’s “Abracadabra,” Bad Bunny’s “DTMF,” Kendrick Lamar & SZA’s collaboration on “luther,” and many others. Surprisingly, it was Billie Eilish’s “Wildflower” that took the Grammy home. Controversial? Maybe. It was an upset for some fans who were skeptical of the song’s eligibility, as it was released in 2024.
After Carpenter went home empty-handed, a fan expressed her disappointment via social media.
Record of the Year included the same nominees, with Roan’s “The Subway” added to the mix. But ultimately, it was Lamar & SZA’s “luther” that took the win. Songwriter and Producer of the Year went to Amy Allen and Cirkut, respectively. Allen worked on many hit songs you’ve probably heard this past year, like “Manchild” and “So Easy (To Fall In Love)” by Dean. Cirkut is known for his most recent work on Gaga’s Mayhem.
Additional performances included Tyler, The Creator’s narrative rendition of songs off both of his recent albums, Chromakopia and Don’t Tap The Glass. Major props to his acting chops. I believed I was watching a real TV show for a moment. Justin Bieber chose an interpretive performance (half-naked with a guitar and a MIDI keyboard) of his single “Yukon” from his Grammy-nominated album, Swag. And we can’t forget Gaga’s unique performance of her Grammy-nominated song “Abracadabra”.
My personal favorite performance was the touching tribute celebrating the lives of musicians who have passed on, specifically the R&B icon, D’Angelo. The tribute was led by the renowned singer Lauryn Hill, with other notable Black artists such as Maxwell, Leon Thomas, John Legend, Bilal, and Chaka Khan.
Finally, the award we were all teetering on the edge of our seats for: Album of the Year. Harry Styles had the honor of presenting the award following the release of his new single “Aperture.” Bad Bunny’s Debi Tirar Mas Fotos, Gaga’s Mayhem, and Lamar’s GNX seemed to have a stronghold in the race for Album of the Year per Billboard. This year’s competition was tight. With some of Gaga’s fans swearing she would “sweep the Grammys” and Lamar’s previous sweep at last year’s Grammys, it was a toss-up.
However, it was Bad Bunny’s Debi Tirar Mas Fotos who took the Grammy home. This win makes Grammy history as the first all-Spanish album to win AOTY. In his speech, he dedicates his award to immigrants everywhere, especially those who have had to flee their homes to pursue their dreams. This particularly hit home for him and many people amid Trump’s militarized ICE operations across America.
As the night came to a close, we got a send-off from our favorite host, Trevor Noah, as this was his last time hosting the Grammys. However, he might find himself in hot water after receiving threats of a lawsuit from President Trump following his joke about Epstein Island, which seemed to leave the President irate.
Now, with us well into the new year, the eligibility period for music submissions at next year’s Grammys closes on Aug. 30. Any artists dropping new music soon coming to mind? Who do you hope to see host, win, and perform at the 69th Annual Grammys?