The 67th Annual Grammy Awards just graced our televisions and timelines on February 2nd - and dare I say - did an impressive job of highlighting the past 12 months of music.
It’s a tale as old as time: the Grammy Awards happen and all hell breaks loose. From red carpet controversies to problematic winners, the Recording Academy is no stranger to receiving some flack (and for good reason). Me personally - I still have beef with them for continuing to snub the vocalist of our generation, Ms. Ariana Grande Butera. However, something has… changed within them. Something was not the same. Watching the Grammys this year I felt something I rarely feel when watching an award show: hope.
Now I will admit I tuned in late, but rewatched the performances I missed including Grammy-winner Sabrina Carpenter. Immediately, I was transported back to 2015 and a bronzed Ariana is peaking through a red curtain. That performance of “Focus” is truly one of my favorites of all time, and I’d like to think Sabrina took notes from her mother to create her own version. Sabrina oozes charm on that stage maybe more than any other performer; her bouncy ‘50s hair and gleaming white smile captivated the entire audience as she serenaded us with “Espresso” and “Please Please Please.” Sabrina was a pop it-girl this year, and this performance was the perfect cherry on top to her record-smashing 2024.
Speaking of 2024 it-girls, Chappell Roan’s inspired performance of her cult classic “Pink Pony Club” was undisputedly a peak of the show. This song is more relevant than ever now that our country is run by nazi bigots and colonizers, and that energy transcends over the screen. As Chappell calls out for the audience to sing the bridge, the choir of incredible musicians breaks out into a beautiful anthem of the modern classic. The gigantic pink pony she’s riding is also extremely iconic. All around, it was an incredible night for our Midwest Princess, as she deservingly went home with the Grammy for Best New Artist.
An incredible addition to the ceremony this year was the Best New Artist performance montage. To eliminate the “wait who is that?” conversation that this category faces every year, the Academy gave each nominee a chance to bring their talents to the stage, exposing them to the industry and public like never before. I was captivated by many of these performers, but nobody came close to Doechii. Having just won her first Grammy for Best Rap Album with the incredible and innovative mixtape “Alligator Bites Never Heal,” Doechii came out on that stage like the rising superstar she is. My jaw dropped at the first few counts of choreography and didn’t come up for the rest of the performance. I’m not scared to say - I think Doechii had the best performance of the night. She stole the show and the audience was going berserk, as they should!
As the show continued, we got many more remarkable performances including those of Cynthia Erivo (holy shit I almost started crying she is so good), Shakira, and not including The Weeknd. Now, I want to contribute my two cents to this whole Beyonce debacle. Am I the biggest Bey fan on the planet? Nope. Was I rooting for someone else to win album of the year? For sure I was. But - I can confidently say Cowboy Carter is an incredible body of work, absolutely deserving of this honor from the Academy. Those who are arguing that this album was not on par with the other nominees very clearly did not listen to the album in full or simply didn’t try to understand the significance. As a fan of country music (Kacey, The Chicks, Shania, Rascal Flatts, Reba) I can clearly see how this album resonates in the current societal landscape for so many reasons. After being completely shunned by the cult that is Country Music, Beyonce reigned supreme and rightfully took home her first Album of The Year win. The best part of all this was Beyonce’s manager, Blue Ivy Carter, nudging her to get her ass up on that stage and stop looking all surprised when she won Best Country Album.
We HAVE to talk about Charli. Watching this performance was like looking at that Oscars selfie - I noticed a new familiar face after every watch. Alex Consani, Quen Blackwell, Julia Fox, The Dare; and that’s just at first glance. This performance was the definition of Brat. Messy, loud, flashing lights, little to no clothing, and everyone on that stage sniffing a little snow before the cameras turned on. My only complaint is they didn’t show the audience enough - let me see Ms. Swift getting down to "Von Dutch," I know my girl was having the time of her life!!
The 13,000 voting members of the academy (they really wouldn’t let us forget that) clearly had some sense knocked into them after the last few dumpster fires. It’s actually hard to disagree with any of their choices this time around - something I never thought I’d say. From Kendrick’s sweep to the pop girlies getting their flowers to drunk Taylor Swift being the ultimate hype-woman, it’s going to be tough to top the 2025 Grammys.
Cheers! xoxo
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