After many years of hard work and 99 Grammy nominations, Beyoncé takes the stage at the 67th annual Grammys to accept the award for Album of the Year for “Cowboy Carter.” Beyoncé, who has never won Best Album before, was relieved that after many nominations in years past, she was victorious this year with her first ever country album.
Despite the horrific wildfires, the Grammys took place on Feb. 2 at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles.
Each year the Grammys award show celebrates the hottest artists and albums of the year. This year, the city of Los Angeles, much in need, was also a central focus of the night. To kick off the evening’s live performances, Doechii, Dawes, John Legend and Sheryl performed “We Love LA.”
The energy at the Grammys, usually palpable through the screen, did feel more subdued as the struggles in Los Angeles were referenced throughout the night. Host Trevor Noah intermittently advised audience members to donate to LA Fire Relief throughout the evening. Noah also took time to recognize those who died in the Washington D.C. plane crash the previous week.
Along with the donations, the Grammys offered airtime to local Los Angeles businesses that were economically suffering because of the wildfires. Local businesses like Orla Flora Studio, Two Dragons Martial Arts and Rhythms of the Villages were only a few of the featured businesses that would not normally have gotten screen time at the Grammys.
In terms of fashion, cutouts and form-fitting dresses were all popular choices for the Grammys red carpet this year.
Olivia Rodrigo’s Versace black dress was sleek and elegant. Much less can be said about Kanye West’s wife Bianca Censori who wore a revealing sheer dress. West was nominated for Best Rap Song, but was asked to leave early with his wife, due to Censori’s vulgar apparel. E! news announcers were also critical of Taylor Swift’s red mini dress by Vivienne Westwood, comparing it to a cheerleading outfit.
Best New Artist, one of the more anticipated awards, was won by a visibly nervous Chappell Roan. The nomination list was filled with popular names including Benson Boone, Sabrina Carpenter, Shaboozey and Teddy Swims. Wearing a medieval hat and thick theatrical makeup, Roan made some sincere remarks about the need to give young artists a “living wage” to pay for the musical expenses.
The live performances of both Roan and Boone were colorful, fun and bright moments in an otherwise muted awards show. Their strong vocals, fun staging and creative choreography made these two performances really pop.
The surprise performance by the Weeknd and Playboi Carti was one of the more visually dramatic and exciting sets this year. In 2021 the Weeknd chose to boycott the Grammys having felt snubbed at the 2020 Grammys. His return this year was his first Grammys appearance since 2020.
Noah’s jokes and comments were not funny and cringe at times. However, he did a great job at encouraging audience members to donate to the wildfire relief campaign, as over seven million dollars were raised during the night.
Record of the Year, a prestigious award, was awarded to Kendrick Lamar’s “Not Like Us.” Lamar wrote “Not Like Us” as a diss track to his rival, Drake. Lamar’s victory was seen as a massive upset to many music lovers. Carpenter’s “Espresso” and Beyoncé’s “Texas Hold ‘Em” were both favored to win the award going into the night. “Not Like Us” also won awards like Best Rap Performance, Best Rap Song and Best Music Video, making Lamar’s Grammy career total 22.
Despite Noah’s jokes falling flat and some dull and unremarkable performances, the Grammys ended up being a pleasant experience as there were some very talented vocalists and significant money raised for Los Angeles wildfire relief. The fact that Los Angeles was able to host the Grammys at a time of disaster and distress was, in itself, very uplifting, making this year’s Grammys a night to remember.
