The Grammy Awards, also known as “Music’s Biggest Night,” is often an occasion to celebrate the music industry. However, this year, the event took on a melancholy tone as the tragic death of Kobe Bryant and his 13-year-old daughter, Gianna, shocked the world, just hours before the awards ceremony began.
Many performers honored Bryant during the ceremony. Host Alicia Keys paid tribute to Bryant during her monologue, and Lizzo, who opened the show with a performance of “Truth Hurts” and “Cuz I Love You,” declared “Tonight is for Kobe.”
Bryant wasn’t the only legend that stars paid tribute to during the show. Usher remembered Prince through his performance of “Little Red Corvette,” “When Dove’s Cry” and “Kiss.”
John Legend, DJ Khaled, YG, Meek Mill, Roddy Rich and Kirk Franklin honored Rapper Nipsey Hussle, who died after he was shot in Los Angeles in March 2019.
The ceremony was also overshadowed by a Recording Academy scandal, as the Academy is facing criticism for a lack of diversity, as well as sexual harassment claims.
Despite the scandal, the 62nd Grammys plowed on, featuring a myriad of iconic performances.
Lil Nas X performed “Old Town Road” and “Rodeo”. Lil Nas X has collaborated with multiple artists to produce various versions of “Old Town Road”. For his Grammys stage, he brought those artists together to perform one big medley. His performance featured BTS, Billy Ray Cyrus, Mason Ramsey (aka the Walmart yodeling kid), Diplo, Young Thug and Nas.
Lil Nas X’s stage also made BTS the first K-pop group in history to perform at the Grammys.
Among the performers was Billie Eilish, who took home five out of the six awards for which she was nominated. She also won the four biggest awards: Best New Artist, Song of the Year, Record of the Year and Album of the Year. Eilish is the youngest and the first female artist to win all four of these major awards.
The Grammys also featured performances by the Jonas Brothers, Ariana Grande and Camilla Cabello. Cabello sang “First Man,” a track from her latest album, Romance. Cabello dedicated the song to her dad, who was moved to tears by the performance.
Another important moment was Demi Lovato’s performance of “Anyone,” which was her first performance since being hospitalized after an overdose in 2018. Afterward, she received a standing ovation from the crowd.
Although the night delivered countless entertaining performances by multiple stars, host Alicia Keys drove home an important message for the audience as she closed out the show.
“We got a lot to change,” she said. “We got a lot to do.”