Matt O’Connor Photo Credit: Getty Images
On February 2nd, the 67th annual Grammy Awards took place in the Crypto.com arena in Los Angeles, California. Once again hosted by Trevor Noah, this year’s ceremony celebrated the accomplishments and contributions of dozens of different artists. With over 90 awards given out throughout the night, performances from some of the night’s biggest nominees, and some surprising gramophone recipients, this year’s grammys demonstrated the collective passion and brilliance for the musical craft. This is a recap of everything that went down on music’s biggest night.
We Love L.A
After the devastating damage caused by the California wildfires, the Grammys dedicated the ceremony to raising money to aid in the efforts of helping the citizens of Los Angeles who were affected by the fires. By the end of the show, the Musicares Fire Relief organization raised more than $7 million dollars in donations from viewers across the country. Throughout the show, multiple performances were dedicated to Los Angeles. Industry legends Lheryl Crow, Brad Paisley, Brittany Howard, St. Vincent and John Legend opened the show with a captivating performance of Randy Newman’s “I Love L.A”. Billie Eilish also honored her home state with a performance of her hit song “BIRDS OF A FEATHER”, with the background modeled the scenic hiking trails of Los Angeles County and photos of some of Billie’s nostalgic childhood memories from the city. Lady Gaga and Bruno Mars also took the stage to perform a rendition of the classic song “California Dreamin’” by The Mamas & the Papas. But in addition, the Musicares Fire Relief organization raised more than $7 million dollars in donations from viewers across the country to help aid the citizens of California who were affected by the fires. Finally, the brave firefighters who battled and were able to contain the fires in both Palisades and Eaton were invited onto the Grammys stage to present Album Of The Year. Through the power and impact of music, people came together with those in need. Trevor Noah put it best, “It’s often said that in the darkest times, the best of humanity shines through.”
Who Took Home The Gold
This year’s Grammy nominees were stacked. Some of the biggest artists on the planet as well as many emerging artists were in the running. Kendrick Lamar was the most decorated artist at this year’s ceremony with a total of 5 wins for his sensational album “Not Like Us.” In fact, he won in every single category that he was nominated for. With his newly gained Gramophones, Kendrick is the third most decorated rap artist of all time with 24 awards to his name. Not Like Us was one of the biggest hits in the music industry of 2024, and its popularity will continue to grow with Kendrick scheduled to perform during Super Bowl LIX this Sunday. Two more big winners this year with both Sabrina Carpenter and Chappell Roan, who both grew immensely last year. Sabrina took home the Grammys for Best Pop Vocal Album with Short N’ Sweet as well as Best Remixed Recording, whereas Chappell Roan won the award for Best New Artist. Both of their careers hit new heights in 2024 and have cemented themselves as some of the strongest creators in the industry going forward. Doechii also made headlines after taking home the award for “Best Rap Album” for “Alligator Bites Never Heal”, with the artist delivering an emotional acceptance speech. She became the third woman to win the award after Lauryn Hill in 1997 and Cardi B in 2019. But it was Beyoncé’s win for Album Of The Year that had people talking the most. In total, she has 35 Grammys to her name, but not once had she won arguably the biggest award of the entire ceremony, until now. It was her country album “Cowboy Carter” that finally got her the win.
Who Performed This Year
More than a dozen artists took to the stage and delivered some of the most memorable performances at the Grammys in recent years. Five of the nominees for Best New Artist got to shine and perform some of their most beloved songs. Benson Boone kicked it off with “Beautiful Things” which was a fun rendition but ever so slightly brought down by an unfortunate wardrobe mishap. Doechii followed suit with a creative remix using elements from both “CATFISH” and “DENIAL IS A RIVER” which made for an excellent performance that left the audience blown away. Teddy Swims went three for three with “Lose Control” and once again had the audience on the edge of their seats. Shaboozey was equally as memorable with his huge hit “A Bar Song (Tipsy)”, and Raye ended off this musical montage with “Oscar Winning Tears”. There were also performances from some of the bigger artists that night like Sabrina Carpenter, Chappell Roan, and Charli XCX which were all very positively received. But there were two performances in particular that really stole the show. Previously, The Weeknd had cut ties with the Grammys and boycotted the ceremony for its lack of transparency when choosing award recipients. But four years later, Harvey Mason Jr. of the Recording Academy laid new ground by taking significant steps to rework their voting committee to make it more diverse and upfront. The two ended up putting their differences to rest and Mason Jr. brought the legendary artist back and shocked everyone with a surprise performance of two songs from his latest album “Hurry Up Tomorrow”.But the other big performance of the night came in the form of the ceremony’s yearly tribute to the members of the music industry that passed away during the previous year. This performance was primarily dedicated to 28 time Grammy winner Quincy Jones. The tribute was introduced and closed by Will Smith, whose appearance marked the first time he had attended an awards show since he slapped Chris Rock at the Oscars back in 2022. Multiple performers including Cynthia Erivo and Stevie Wonder paid tribute to Quincy with some of his most famous work including the much beloved “We Are The World”. To end off the tribute, Janelle Monáe performed “Don’t Stop ‘til You Get Enough” in an homage to the late Michael Jackson. During the performance, Monáe took off her glittery jacket and threw it into the crowd, and although she didn’t get any Grammys, Taylor Swift was more than happy to get the jacket used during this legendary tribute to some of music’s biggest legends.
Global Impact And A Red Carpet Surprise
The Dr. Dre Global impact award is given to an artist who made significant contributions to the music industry and music culture as a whole. The award was first given out to Dr. Dre himself in 2023, followed by Jay-Z in 2024. This year, Alicia Keys was honored with the award. After an introduction from Queen Latifah, Keys delivered one of the most powerful and inspiring acceptance speeches in the history of the Grammys. Keys dedicated the award to all of the women in music that were in the room and delivered a truly uplifting and resonating message. “This is not the time to shut down the diversity of voices. We’ve seen on this stage talented, hard-working people from different backgrounds, from different points of view, and it changes the game. DEI is not a threat, it’s a gift, and the more voices, the more powerful the sound.”
One bizarre incident that occurred before the ceremony was when Kanye (Ye) West and his wife Bianca Censori showed up at the Red Carpet. Kanye had previously been banned from performing at the Grammys after his concerning behavior online and hateful comments. But Kanye and his wife put forth a weird and uncomfortable social experiment with Bianca showing up to the Red Carpet in a completely see-through dress. Those in attendance and online were left very confused. Kanye would later make several comments calling out the Grammys and proclaiming that the pair had “beaten the Grammys”. Sources have stated that it’s unlikely either will receive any legal consequences from the ordeal. Aside from the duo’s questionable appearance, this year’s Grammys ceremony was certainly one of the best and one of the most memorable.
