Grammy Rundown

The Grammys was held on Sunday night to decent hype and on the screens of 17 million American homes. Often referred to as “Music’s biggest night”, it hosted many music’s, both new and old, heavy hitters with Trevor Noah sprinkled on top to receive the event. Let’s see how the Grammy’s did this year at maintaining its relevance and impact.

Dua Lipa opened the show with her highly electric performance medley, of a ‘Training Season’ and ‘Houdini’. 

Trevor Noah, who’s hosting for his fourth consecutive year at the Grammys, delivered a surprisingly thoughtful, amusing, and quick-witted monologue this year. Pointing out many stars, some as they came out such as Meryl Streep and Taylor Swift. Noah, who has the tendency to deliver stale comedy, gave us a strong opening that set the tone for the show and was nothing short of entertaining. 

This year, we were spoonfed a multitude of grand performances, both visually and musically. Tracy Chapman and Luke Combs offered a stripped-down, sentimental version of ‘Fast Car’, which saw its first performance in 15 years. SZA brought us into the world of “Kill Bill” while performing the eponymous song on top of the sword-fighting mania that graced the stage. Respected legends from the old guard Billy Joel and Joni Mitchell delivered valuable performances which shows they’ve still got it. Miley Cyrus gave us a powerful and articulate performance of ‘Flowers’, with her effortless stage moves and presence echoing those of the late Tina Turner, intentional? Probably. 

With the Grammys each year comes valid criticism from watchers and musicians alike, and Jay Z decided to touch upon this in his speech in a professional but stern tone highlighting an ongoing problem with the Grammys. “we love y’all and we want y’all to get it right” he says,   

“I don’t want to embarrass this young lady, but she has more Grammys than everyone and never won album of the year. So even by your own metrics, that doesn’t work.” he continues. 

To end off the night, Taylor Swift won the Album of the Year award which came as a surprise to absolutely no one, but in a way tailed off the massive year she’s had. Internationally Sold-out shows, A smash-hit chart-topping album, a massive concert film, and even being honored as Time magazine’s Person of the Year. She also ushered in the beginning of a new era, with the announcement of her new studio album coming out in April titled “The Tortured Poets Department”. 

With the waning popularity of award shows, and cable live events in general, you start to wonder whether it is worth your time to get invested in an event that is as superficial as an award show, but it is safe to say that the Grammys are doing a good job in keeping people on the edge of their seats, and will likely stick around for a while.