Olivia Rodrigo wins big
The 64th Grammy Awards celebrated generational talent in the music industry. PHOTO CREDIT: Grammy.com
Celebrities raised a toast to the best music of 2021 on April 3.
Hosted by comedian Trevor Noah, for the second year in a row, the 64th Grammy Awards were held at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas.
Before the awards were handed out, pop duo Silk Sonic performed “777” from their debut album. This would be the first of many times seeing Bruno Mars and Anderson.Paak on stage. Noah kicked off the festivities with some light banter with artists and a slight dig at Will Smith’s Oscars controversy from the week before.
The performances resumed with Olivia Rodrigo’s “drivers license” and J Balvin’s “Que Mas Pues” and “In da Getto.” After these performances, Questlove, the drummer and leader of “The Roots,” introduced the Song of The Year category, which went to Silk Sonic for their 70s-inspired track “Leave the Door Open,” which also went on to win Record of The Year, Best R&B Song and Best R&B Performance.
Following her performance of “drivers license,” Olivia Rodrigo took home the Best New Artist Award, along with Best Pop Vocal Album and Best Pop Solo Performance, almost pulling a full sweep, except for her missing out on Album of the Year.
BTS had the audience on their feet with a suave James Bond-like performance of their hit track “Butter,” before Lil Nas X took the stage to perform “Montero (Call Me By Your Name)” and “Industry Baby” with Jack Harlow.
Doja Cat and SZA took home the award for Best Pop Duo/Group Performance with their song “Kiss Me More,” which has become a viral internet sensation on TikTok. Their speech showcased their unique characters, especially Doja, who ran on stage following a last-minute bathroom trip, before emotionally thanking everyone.
The biggest award of the night, Album of the Year, went to Jon Batiste for his album “We Are” following his colorful performance of “Freedom,” which had everyone in the theater on their feet dancing along. Batiste was nominated for 14 awards and ended up winning five.
Like many Grammy Awards before, this year’s awards downplayed the rap and hip-hop categories as they were not televised. Tyler, The Creator won Best Rap Album with “Call Me If You Get Lost,” while Kanye West took home two awards for Best Rap Song (“Jail” with Jay-Z) and Best Melodic Rap Performance (“Hurricane” with The Weeknd and Lil Baby).
The Best Rap Performance was televised, however, with Baby Keem taking the award for his collaborative hit with Kendrick Lamar, “family ties.” This was Keem’s first Grammy win, though he was nominated for Best New Artist and Best Rap Song.
“This is a dream,” he said in his speech.
One of the most heartwarming moments of the night came from Lady Gaga, who was introduced by video by her friend and music legend Tony Bennett. She performed a medley of jazz songs from their album “Love For Sale” while a video montage of her and Bennett played on the screen behind her.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky appeared on screen with an emotional recorded message pleading for more help and support in Ukraine.
“Our children drew swooping rockets, not shooting stars,” he said. “Over 400 children have been injured and 153 children died. And we will never see them drawing.”
As the video message faded, John Legend performed “Free” accompanied by Ukrainian artists Mika Newton, Lyuba Yakimchuk and Siuzanna Igidan, while “#standupforukraine” flashed on the screen.
Like in years past, the Awards took a pause to honor the lives of those lost this past year, most notably Foo Fighters drummer Taylor Hawkins, who died in March and world-renowned composer Stephen Sondheim. Hawkins’s death was present in Billie Eilish’s performance of “Happier Than Ever,” where she wore a shirt with Hawkins behind his drum set.
Overall, this year’s Grammys were a testament to the hard work and dedication of artists, producers and managers, and a great celebration of music as a whole. While The Grammys still have their issues with diversity and the yearly snubs, however after two years without a “normal” ceremony, it was great to see artists and fans come together to appreciate music.