Award show season always adds some extra pep into my Sunday nights. Behind the scenes of this glamor, there is ongoing frustration with Grammy nominations and their lack of diversity. Extremely talented artists including the Weeknd (who performed the Superbowl Halftime show this past February), Zayn Malik, and Nicki Minaj were all publicly disappointed in the lack of representation and boycotted attending the show at all. The nomination process is definitely flawed and needs vast improvement, but many popular artists did show up to perform this past Sunday.
We started off with a fan favorite, Harry Styles. Since leaving One Direction, Harry’s artistic taste has completely blossomed. I can’t say I’m a huge fan (sorry Directioners), but his performance of “Watermelon Sugar” was entertaining. “Watermelon Sugar” also went on to win Best Pop Solo Performance.
Billie Eilish was up next, performing “when the party’s over.“ I’ve honestly never done a deep dive into Eilish’s life, but I admire her confidence and sense of style. She’s young, talented, and not afraid to take on the stage. In turn, this creates really good music that we can all jam to in the car. These jams were rightfully recognized as she took home Record of the Year.
Dua Lipa was a standout star this year, which I thought was nice. She’s created good songs for a couple of years and deserved to be recognized. I loved her pink sparkly outfit and her dancing was impressive. This was definitely PG-13 compared to Megan Thee Stallion/Cardi B’s performance later on.
A few performances later was the one and only, my queen, Ms. Taylor Swift. Quite honestly I could write an entire article on her performance alone, but I’ll keep it short and sweet. The mystical, woodland fairy vibe was spot-on for Folklore. It was also nice that her co-writers and studio session buddies Aaron Dessner and Jack Antonoff could join her on stage. Early on in the show I was disappointed that she had not won any awards, but at the climax of the night, she took home Album of the Year, which was legendary. (P.S. She is the first female to win Album of the Year three times but I’ll get back to the rest of the article now).
Next was the Memorium section which is always reflective and humbling. Audiences noted that Naya Rivera, singer and actress most popular for her role on Glee, was noticeably missing. For young audiences, she was a leader and role model, so it is unfortunate she was forgotten. Overall, it was a nice segment with performances from Bruno Mars and Lionel Richie.
Mickey Guyton took the stage to sing her country song, Black Like Me. I had never heard the song before, which speaks for itself, as the song encompasses the struggles and underrepresentation of black Americans. She was the first Black woman ever nominated as a solo country artist. It’s both shocking and terrifying that no black female has been recognized in this category until 2021.
Winning the strangest duo of the night, Maren Morris and John Mayer united to sing her song “The Bones.” I’m not entirely sure where this duet came from, but they’re both very talented and it was a lovely performance to watch.
Now for the most exciting and controversial performance of the night- Megan Thee Stallion and Cardi B. Before this performance, I didn’t know much about Megan Thee Stallion, but her performance was fun! “Savage” featuring Beyoncé was definitely a 2020 bop and she performed really well. When Cardi B joined to perform “WAP,” things started getting a little hectic. I’m all for girl power, but their performance was a bit much for a family-friendly award show. However, in all honesty, what did we really expect from the first live performance of Wet A** P****?
The best part of the night was arguably from someone who didn’t even perform- Queen Bey (Beyonce). Winning Best Rap Performance as a feature on Megan Thee Stallion’s song, Beyonce has become the most-winning singer (male or female) of all time. She has a staggering 28 Grammys, two of which she won this year.
All in all, it was an entertaining night, and certain artists got the recognition they deserve. But, what is the clearest, based on multiple performances and acceptance speeches, is that the nomination committee needs to do better and needs to work towards a more just nomination process. Let’s hope they can learn from the protests and public scrutiny of their choices this year, for better representation in the years to come.