It’s no secret that I’ve never been the biggest fan of “Music’s Biggest Night.” While they’re always pretty entertaining with memorable performances and memorable moments, the actual awards and selected winners can sometimes leave a lot to be desired.
Yet this year, they seemed to have flipped the script.
To start, much of the night was focused on the ongoing tragedy in Los Angeles and sending love and aid to those affected by the wildfires, giving further hope to the loving community and first responders.
Some of last year’s biggest icons from Charli xcx to Sabrina Carpenter all took home multiple, well-deserved awards while all giving outstanding and energetic performances as well.
Doechii specifically made history by only being the third woman to win Best Rap Album. In turn, her acceptance speech was full of emotion and aimed at young black women and how their voices matter and that they should always pursue their dreams and aspirations.
Chappell Roan’s win for Best New Artist was another highlight, as her acceptance speech was aimed at greedy labels and how artists deserve much more than they’ve been given, a battle musicians have been fighting for years now. I only hope this speech could open more doors for smaller artists and for labels to reconsider their agreements and how they provide for their artists.
The night’s most celebrated and deserving winners had to be Kendrick Lamar and the one and only Beyoncé. Lamar took home five Grammys for his daring west-coast anthem “Not Like Us,” making history for diss tracks and rap overall as an art form and cultural phenomenon.
Beyoncé, on the other hand, also made history by being the first black woman to win in a country category in over 50 years, while also finally winning the coveted Album of the Year for her personal, genre-defiant opus Cowboy Carter. An acknowledgment that’s been long overdue.
The Grammys still weren’t done making amends though. After a four-year boycott, The Weeknd made a surprise return to the stage after being introduced by the CEO of the Recording Academy himself.
After being shut out of the 2021 awards season for arguably the most successful and talked about album of the year prior with After Hours, the Academy finally apologized for their oversight while also noting this event as a prime factor for expanding their voting body and kick-starting more programs to support the music of any and all kinds, cultures, and demographics. A most magnificent return indeed.
Overall, the Grammys kind of rocked this year. From even more exciting moments and touching tributes, the Recording Academy seems to finally be on an upward trajectory, as the night made for a much-needed glimmer of hope in this rather uncertain and uneasy world.
It’s always nice to see well-deserving, beloved trailblazers win such coveted and prized awards, all the while reiterating these important ideas and feelings of community, inclusivity, and togetherness. Something we can never have too much of.
