After all the drama surrounding the Oscars a few weeks ago, most people didn’t even remember the Grammys were happening on April 3rd – at least, I didn’t. Scrolling through channels, in between shows on Netflix and procrastinating my final assignments, I stumbled upon Trevor Noah’s second hosting of the Grammys, and decided to sit down and enjoy a hopefully slap-free awards show. I started watching right in time for Billie Eilish’s performance of her hit “Happier Than Ever”, complete with fake rain, storm clouds, and a touching tribute to Taylor Hawkins, a member of the Foo Fighters who passed away only days before they were set to perform at the Grammys. BTS also performed with Olivia Rodrigo, breaking fangirls’ hearts everywhere, and Lady Gaga performed in the absence of her co-nominee, the great Tony Bennett. My favourite performance, though, and probably many of yours’, was Lil Nas X and Jack Harlow, whose “Industry Baby” has been at the top of all our playlists since it dropped in July. Immediately after their performance, Harlow’s name was trending on Twitter, and it’s easy to see why – like the song says, he’s still out here getting cuter.
Big winners of the night were Olivia Rodrigo, who picked up three awards for Best New Artist, Best Pop Solo Performance for “Drivers License”, and Best Pop Vocal Album for Sour, none of which were big surprises; as well as Doja Cat and SZA, who were awarded Best Pop Duo/Group Performance for their hot girl summer anthem “Kiss Me More”. Song of the Year, coming as no surprise to those of us hearing it everyday on TikTok, went to “Leave the Door Open” by Silk Sonic with Bruno Mars and Anderson .Paak, who also performed earlier in the night. Album of the Year was a bit of a surprise to some – Jon Batiste, better recognized as Band Director on the Late Night Show with Stephen Colbert, took home the award for his album “We Are”. While many were expecting it to go to Olivia Rodrigo for Sour, Lil Nas X, or Kanye West for Donda, I was not surprised. I listened to Batiste’s entire album after the show and could only wonder why I hadn’t sooner.
It’s been tough for awards shows to handle record-low viewership, socially distanced seating, and virtual presentations. But with a high-profile Oscars in March and an incredible Grammys this April, it sure looks like they’re making a comeback.