After a rather tumultuous start to the new year, the 67th annual Grammy Awards provided an exciting show that put fresh talent on display while honoring industry veterans, as well as the city of Los Angeles, with many surprises along the way.
The earliest shocker and one of the most viral moments of the night occurred right before the show began as Kanye West’s wife Bianca Censori showed up on the red carpet wearing seemingly nothing under her fur coat. But this stunt did not deter the night’s momentum as 2024’s premier breakthrough artists, Sabrina Carpenter and Chappell Roan, took control of the stage and belted some of their most famous tunes to the audience of 15.4 million watching at home. However, it was the performances that followed from the other Best New Artist nominees (Khruangbin, Benson Boone, Doechii, Teddy Swims, Shaboozey and Raye) that put into perspective just how talented the new generation of music is.
The night was not without some veteran performances as Billie Eilish, Shakira and Charli XCX got the crowd up and dancing in between awards. To bring the ceremony back down to earth and provide remembrance to the victims of the tragic LA wildfires, power duo Lady Gaga and Bruno Mars sang a beautiful rendition of “California Dreamin’” by The Mamas & the Papas. Keeping on the same track, the death of artist Quincy Jones was honored by a rather interesting, but immensely talented, group of artists including Cynthia Erivo, Lainey Wilson, Jacob Collier, Stevie Wonder and Janelle Monáe performing a mash-up of all of his most popular songs.
The most shocking performance of the night, however, came from an artist never expected to return to the Grammys, The Weeknd. Playing some tracks off his recently released album “Hurry Up Tomorrow,” The Weeknd ignited a flame of excitement among the crowd after being introduced on stage by Recording Academy CEO Harvey Mason Jr. Before the performance, Mason ensured the audience that the Grammy voting process has improved greatly in recent years and that the Grammys are continuously working to be better.
Despite how extraordinary the performances were, the real surprises of the night were the winners. Kendrick Lamar’s “Not Like Us” swept all five of its nominated categories, including both Record and Song of the Year. From the moment he made his way up to the stage donning his “Canadian tuxedo” to the crowd chanting “Tryna strike a chord and it’s probably A minor,” Lamar had complete control over the crowd and in turn, brought down the reputation of his archnemesis Drake to levels never seen before in his career. All eyes will be on Lamar as he makes his Super Bowl headlining debut after his jaw-droppingly successful Grammys night.
These were not the only awards given out that captured the world’s attention, as breakthrough artist Chappell Roan dedicated her Best New Artist acceptance speech to advocating that labels begin treating their singers with respect by providing healthcare and higher wages. This moment made the crowd emotional, eliciting a standing ovation. Many online praised Roan for her transparency on such pressing matters and her prioritization of her message during her speech, as she set her award on the ground and held tightly onto a notebook instead.
The waterworks continued as the biggest winner of the night, Beyoncé, became the first Black artist to ever win Best Country Album with “Cowboy Carter,” as well as adding to her all-time Grammy total, reaching 35 total awards after securing her first Album of the Year win. The decision proved to be the most controversial of the night, as her fans claimed that she had deserved this long overdue honor, while others asserted the album was not true to the country genre and did not deserve either of its awards. I find “Cowboy Carter” to be a great record, pristinely produced, and have a hard time understanding others’ qualms with its awards. The argument of whether Beyoncé can make a country album takes away from the talented artistry demonstrated on the record, which bends and shifts into something more than a simple country album. As Beyoncé stated in her Best Country Album acceptance speech, “I think sometimes genre is a code word to keep us in our place as artists.”
Most artists left with some nice hardware to add to their shelves, and the night was as fun as it could have been especially with the impact of the LA wildfires on the community. Here’s to hoping next year’s broadcast delivers just as many memorable moments.
