Like all the rest, the Grammys were televised this year at the start of the month, making this the 67th annual awards ceremony. However, unlike other years where the award ceremony went on to celebrate and recognize the music industry, this year, it was also to raise support for the Los Angeles wildfires.
During the award ceremony, there are several categories in which the awards are distributed. These include record of the year, song of the year, best new artist, etc., and range between hundreds of nominations and selected winners. This year’s top nominees included musicians who showcase a variety of genres like: Beyoncé, Billie Eilish, Charlie XCX, Kendrick Lamar, Post Malone, Sabrina Carpenter, Chappell Roan, and Taylor Swift.
While some of these nominations were definitely big names, like Taylor Swift, who recently did a worldwide performance titled The Eras Tour, spanning 149 shows, others only recently gained their popularity, like Chappell Roan, who won “Best New Artist,” and Sabrina Carpenter, who won “Best Pop Solo Performance” and “Best Pop Vocal Album.”
Aside from the nominations and the awards that were given out, there were several performances from a list containing more than twenty artists. Pop performers took to the stage with many hit songs: Chappell Roan who performed Pink Pony Club, Sabrina Carpenter who performed Espresso and Please Please Please, Billie Eilish who performed Birds of a Feather, and Charlie XCX who performed Von Dutch and Guess; other nostalgic artists took to the stage like Shakira and John Legend. Additionally, artist Cynthia Erivo, who starred in the new production of Wicked, performed Fly Me to the Moon.
However, this performance stands out from the others. This year’s show featured a memorial to producer Quincy Jones who recently passed away, in addition to all those who lost their lives in the LA wildfires. Not only that but to show the world’s gratitude for the people who fought for others’ lives, the Recording Academy had the LA firefighters present the “Album of the Year” award where they were honored and received a standing ovation.
With much tension going on in the outside world, the Grammys was a beautiful night to relax, appreciate, and honor the artists who put their soul into their music, the producers and writers who get the music out to the world, and the firefighters who put their lives on the line for the wellbeing of others. Here’s to the many more years of the music industry.