The 67th Annual Grammy Awards were held Feb. 2 at the Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles.
Within the three-and-a-half-hour long ceremony, Doechii became the third woman ever to win Best Rap Album, Beyoncé became the first Black woman to win a country Grammy in 50 years, Charli XCX had a party on stage and Taylor Swift had her own dance party to Kendrick Lamar’s “Not Like Us.” The ceremony was packed with teary-eyed wins, surprising shout-outs and entertaining performances.
The night was hosted by comedian and television personality Trevor Noah, marking his fifth year in a row emceeing. Noah recognized the tragedies inflicted by the Los Angeles wildfires this year.
“So, tonight, we decided we are not just going to be celebrating your favorite music; we are also supporting the city that brought us so much about music,” Noah said. At the end of the ceremony, Noah announced that $7 million was raised toward the wildfire relief funds.
Billie Eilish gave a melodic performance of “BIRDS OF A FEATHER” alongside Finneas, her brother and producer, on guitar. Many fans believe Eilish was snubbed of the recognition she deserved for her album, “HIT ME HARD AND SOFT,” which did not bring home any Grammys.
The first award announced was for Best Rap Album with Doechii receiving the Grammy for “Alligator Bites Never Heal.” Doechii gave an uplifting speech empowering Black women and girls.
“I know that there is some Black girl out there, so many Black women out there that are watching me right now, and I want to tell you: you can do it. Anything is possible,” she said. “Don’t allow anybody to project any stereotypes on you that tell you that you can’t be here, that tell you that you’re too dark or that you are not smart enough or that you’re too dramatic, you are too loud. You are exactly who you need to be … right where you are. I am a testimony.”
Best Pop Vocal Album was next, and Sabrina Carpenter took home the award for her chart-topper “Short n’ Sweet.” Earlier in the night, Carpenter delivered a fun, Broadway-esque rendition of her songs “Espresso” and “Please, Please, Please,” both from “Short n’ Sweet.”
“All those nominees that were just on the screen are some of my favorite artists in the world, and I can’t believe I’m nominated against them or even in this room,” Carpenter said.
Beyoncé’s album “COWBOY CARTER” won the titles of Best Country Album and Album Of The Year. The pure shock on Beyonce’s face after hearing that she won Best Country Album went viral on social media.
Additionally, Beyoncé and Miley Cyrus took home the award for Best Country Duo/Group Performance for “II MOST WANTED.” Thanks to these wins, Beyoncé is now the most nominated and awarded artist in Grammys history with 35 wins and 99 nominations.
Chappell Roan, Benson Boone, Shaboozey, Teddy Swims and RAYE all captivated the crowd with their stunning vocal performances — complete with Boone’s signature backflip off of a piano.
Combining her songs “CATFISH” and “DENIAL IS A RIVER,” with an epic dance number, Doechii made waves across social media.
Best New Artist was awarded to Roan, who took her acceptance speech as an opportunity to advocate for health insurance and liveable wages for budding artists. “Labels, we got you — but do you got us?” Roan poignantly asked.
After a three-year boycott of the awards, The Weeknd made a surprise performance of his songs “Cry for Me” and “Timeless” with Playboi Carti joining him on stage. The Weeknd had previously boycotted the Grammys due to claims of corruption and a lack of diversity.
Prior to The Weeknd’s performance, Harvey Mason Jr., the CEO of The Recording Academy, explained that “criticism is OK” and listed changes that have been enacted to improve the Grammys’ inclusivity.
“We’ve launched initiatives like the Black Music Collective, Women in the Mix, Academy Proud and others,” Mason said. “We have completely re-made our membership, adding more than 3,000 women voting members. The Grammy electorate is now younger, nearly 40% people of color and 66% of our members are new since we started our transformation.”
Lady Gaga also had an impactful night, as she previewed her new single “Abracadabra” during a commercial break. The singer took home the award for Best Pop Duo Group/Performance with Bruno Mars for their hit “Die With A Smile.” During her acceptance speech, she took the opportunity to profoundly say, “I just want to say tonight that trans people are not invisible.”
For the first time since 2007, Shakira performed at the Grammys, singing “Ojos Así” and “Shakira: Bzrp Music Sessions, Vol. 53.” Shakira also won the award of Best Latin Pop Album for “Las Mujeres Ya No Lloran.”
Record of the Year and Song of the Year were both awarded to Kendrick Lamar’s “Not Like Us,” which he accepted clad in a Canadian tuxedo. Was this a dig at Drake, who the diss track is targeted toward? Perhaps, especially considering Drake is currently suing their shared label, Universal Music Group, over the song’s promotion.
Whether you agree with the Recording Academy’s choices or not, music’s biggest night proved to be full of groundbreaking wins and historic moments this year.
