Well, ladies and gentlemen, the season of awards has struck us in the face once again. That time of year when we slouch in front of our TVs and watch with cold, empty eyes as another opportunity of celebrating true talent is wasted. I am talking about that time when we watch with a sliver of hope that those who deserve it get it. A time when we hope that things would just return to how they were in the good ole’ days. A time when we are once again subjected to being the hostages of Trevor Noah for the sixth year in a row.
Yes, ladies and gentlemen, I am talking about the one and only Grammy Awards held again this year on February 1, and it was what I somewhat expected.
The Grammys are supposed to be dedicated to the appreciation of the best music talent. Instead, it is often the appreciation of popularity and politics. At least, this is how I saw it and have seen it for years, and I know that I have not been alone in feeling this way.
Viewers tune into the Grammys for a chance to see their favorite song, artist or album take home that golden record player. But again and again, they are disappointed when the winner is the person with the biggest current following. This cycle of talent-wasting has become a vicious one that the industry cannot seem to shake. And rather than the people, it is those in charge who make those soul-sucking calls.
Now I will not go into a spiel about the political side of the Grammys. But I will present a spiel about how we once again had to be on the lookout for the popularity trend to come alive.
However, this year it only came alive halfway. This year, we saw a slight change.
Those with the most popularity did not win some of the biggest categories.
That is right. For just a moment, this high-school-like hierarchy fell, and the jocks and cheerleaders were dethroned. The underdogs had their moment of glory.
I am, of course, talking about the beautiful and well-deserving wins of artists such as Bad Bunny and Kendrick Lamar.
Kendrick Lamar swooped in and took the win for Record of the Year with his song “luther” featuring SZA. And with this win, he made it a double whammy by also securing the win by becoming the most awarded rapper, surpassing Jay Z.
Bad Bunny followed right behind by making history with his winning of Album of the Year with DeBÍ TiRAR MáS FOToS. Not only did he leave the other nominees like Sabrina Carpenter, Lady Gaga and Tyler the Creator in the dust, but he also secured history as being the first artist to win this award with an exclusive Spanish spoken album.
I will say that I was close to shedding happy tears when I saw these two talented men get what they rightfully deserved. I will not lie when I say that I expected artists such as Sabrina Carpenter, Billie Elish and Lady Gaga to sweep through the awards.
I have never been happier to say that I was dead wrong.
I will shamefully admit that I was a tad disappointed and pouty when “Golden” from Kpop Demon Hunters won neither Song of the Year nor Best Pop Duo/Group Performance.
Those rightfully went to “WILDFLOWER” by Billie Eilish and “Defying Gravity” by Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande.
But I am still a little heartbroken.
Of course, this could not be a piece about the Grammys without mentioning the performances.
Personally, I was not expecting Justin Bieber to take the stage in only his boxer shorts during his performance of “Yukon”. And honestly, I do not think that it was something any of us asked for.
Post Malone, Slash and others turned many eyes wet during their tribute to the late Ozzy Osbourne with their performance of “War Pigs” by Black Sabbath.
Alex Warren proved that technical difficulties do not mean the end of the world when the audio in his earpiece was disrupted and caused him to get off beat. His handling and professionalism demonstrated just why the people love him.
And, of course, Sabrina Carpenter gave us another reality check into modern romance by telling the people about the red flag that is dating someone who may look good but acts like a child.
Alongside the performances are always the memorable presenters, which included celebrities such as Nikki Glaser, Harry Styles, Lainey Wilson, Jeff Goldblum and many others.
And of course, as a communications major, it was a moment of validation as singer Jon Batiste took the stage and stuck it to AI by stating that it could never replicate his music.
Which is another reason as to why artists and singers deserve to be celebrated for their talent and not popularity. These people have skills and talent that a machine or algorithm could never replicate, and it never will.
I found this year’s Grammys to be a hopeful turning point. I was not so worried about popularity overwriting the talent, even though that danger was still lurking in the shadows. At the end of the day, it was the talent that won, and it will be the talent that always wins. And who knows, maybe in the future things will go back to how they should be.
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