The 67th Annual Grammy Awards took place on Sun., Feb. 2, with the music industry’s biggest stars. Artists like Beyoncé and Kendrick Lamar took home the most gold, and others, such as Billie Eilish and Taylor Swift, many claimed were snubbed. While I have mixed thoughts about the winners, overall, I think this year’s show was one of the most enjoyable and memorable in recent history.
To start off the night, Eilish performed her hit song “Birds of a Feather.” The performance wasn’t extraordinary in terms of theatrics, but the chill vibe and catchy lyrics still got the audience dancing. I personally enjoyed Eilish’s show as the song is one of my favorites of 2024. As for someone who did have theatrics, Sabrina Carpenter performed “Please, Please, Please,” almost as if she were on Broadway, doing a one-woman show with outfit changes and tap dancing. Although her fame has expanded greatly after the release of her album “Short n’ Sweet,” I think it’s safe to say there will be many more Carpenter Grammy performances in the future.
My favorite performance would have to be a tie between Charli XCX and Chappell Roan. XCX, the final performer of the night, of course continued the party. Channeling the energy of her album “BRAT,” she brought “messy” fun to the show as she would say, performing my favorite song on the album “Von Dutch,” along with “Guess.” As for Roan, she extended her award show streak of unique and eye-catching visuals like having a giant pink pony on stage. Singing “Pink Pony Club,” the Midwest superstar brought vocals and choreography to the stage solidifying her presence in the music industry. While these were my favorite performances of the night, I also enjoyed shows from Doechii, Shakira, Bruno Mars and Lady Gaga.
The most awarded artist of the night was Lamar, who swept five categories. He won both Song of the Year and Record of the Year. To me, this made complete sense because his song “Not Like Us” was played everywhere and got us all talking about the feud between him and Drake. I don’t think there was a more influential song than “Not Like Us” this year, but if I could give a second-place prize for Song of the Year, it would go to Billie Eilish for “Birds of a Feather.”
Another major category was Best New Artist, which was very competitive, with nominees including Roan, Carpenter and Doechii. Roan took home the trophy beating everyone out. I find this to be completely deserved, as she blew up in popularity and almost every song on “The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess” album went viral.
The pinnacle of the night, however, was Album of the Year. At last, Beyoncé won for “Cowboy Carter” after losing the past four times. While many people disagreed with her win, I think it was well-earned. Beyoncé is constantly innovating and her move to country only raised the bar for talent. Even though I would’ve preferred her to win in 2023 for “Renaissance” and in 2015 for Self-Titled, I think the award was a long time coming.
In the midst of the current political and social issues of our country, the Grammys brought awareness to many causes. Shakira dedicated her award to immigrants, vowing to ‘always fight’ with them. Alicia Keys spoke about diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) saying that “DEI is not a threat. It’s a gift.” Gaga called for the protection of transgender rights, Roan advocated for workers’ rights and Doechii addressed bending stereotypes for Black women. To say this all on the most impactful stage in the music industry, with millions of watching worldwide, truly made the show memorable, but more importantly influential as the injustices of the world do not go unnoticed.
