Award season is among us folks, and this past Sunday the 60th annual Grammy awards took place and although it donned a new setting – New York City – the fashion, performances, and of course, drama, persisted as always.
Bruno Mars had himself a big night, taking home a grammy for Song of the Year (That’s What I Like), Record of the Year (24K Magic), and the night’s most coveted award, Album of the Year (24K Magic). Although we were really pulling for Lorde’s Melodrama to come away with album of the year, there’s no denying that despite his short stature, Bruno’s an artist full of talent who can sing, dance, and entertain, which he proved with his performance of Finesse featuring Cardi B that got the whole crowd up on their feet.
Another star that had a lot to be happy about sunday night was Kendrick Lamar, who won a Grammy for both Best Rap Album (DAMN.) and Best Rap Song (Humble) and Best Rap/Sung Collaboration (Loyalty ft. Rihanna). To top it all of, he opened the show with a powerful mash up of different songs off of his DAMN album, which he creatively turned into a social commentary on white supremacy and police brutality.
Ed Sheeran resurfaced in the music industry this year after a three year hiatus, and proved he’s still on top of his game by taking away the Grammy for Best Pop Solo (Shape of You). This came among some controversy, as a lot of people thought fellow nominee Kesha was more deserving of the award for her song, Praying, written in light of her sexual assault by her former producer, Dr. Luke. In such a pivotal moment for women around the world, it would have been heartwarming to see her come away with some well deserved praise and acknowledgement for her strength that is so beautifully portrayed in her song.
The Best New Artist award went to Alessia Cara, who in turn faced some backlash from people claiming she’s not technically a new artist, seeing as she’s had music on the charts since 2015. She responded to the backlash by writing a statement on instagram saying, “I didn’t log on to grammy.com and submit myself. That’s not how it works…But I was nominated and won and I am not going to be upset about something that I’ve wanted since I was a kid…” It’s certainly an interesting debate, but Alessia fired back at critics with confidence.
Some other notable winners were Chris Stapleton, who won Best Country Album (From a Room: Volume 1) and Best Country Song (Broken Halos), The Weekend for Best Urban Contemporary Album (Starboy), and Childish Gambino for Best Traditional R&B Performance (Redbone). The best moment of the night though? The Elton John and Miley Cyrus Tiny Dancer collaboration. We sure will miss you Sir Elton :(