Photo courtesy of crommelincklars, Flickr
The 63rd Grammy Awards aired on Sunday, March 14. The award show was held in Los Angeles outside of the Staples Center, where the event has been held inside in past years.
Hosted by Trevor Noah, the Grammy’s tried to keep the show socially distant by only allowing a limited number of nominated artists to sit at their own table with one guest each, separating them from the other tables. Everyone wore masks aside from when they performed, announced or received an award.
Despite this new set up, there were still plenty of live performances, stunning fashion statements and memorable wins from some of the industry’s best artists.
The night honored all kinds of artists, but it's important to highlight the women of the night. Stealing the show with their bold performances, breathtaking formal wear and some of the highest honors, women rightfully made this year's Grammy’s centered around female empowerment and recognition.
Billie Eilish took home two Grammys: Best Song Written for Visual Media with “No Time To Die” and the prestige Record of the Year for her song “everything i wanted,” which she also performed with a picturesque set at the beginning of the show.
During her acceptance speech for the latter award, she expressed how Megan Thee Stallion deserved the award instead for her song “Savage.”
“This is really embarrassing for me,” Eilish said, as she did not expect to win the award at all. “You deserve this. You had a year that I think is untoppable. You are a queen. I want to cry thinking about how much I love you.”
Eilish thought for sure it would be an easy win for Megan Thee Stallion, who earlier received Grammys for Best New Artist, Best Rap Performance and Best Rap Song for “Savage Remix” featuring Beyoncé.
Eilish’s humility and response to her win has sparked controversy online, but it is still a well deserved win for her.
Megan Thee Stallion and Cardi B shared a provocative and energetic performance for their song “WAP” which also, undoubtedly, grabbed a lot of attention. There are those who enjoyed the performance and felt empowered by it, and those who claim its dancing and vulgar song to be unacceptable and too inappropriate for viewers. Either way, their performance definitely will be one to remember.
Dua Lipa had an incredible night, as her pink blissed performance of dancing and mashup of her top singles from the past year was a large hit. Dua Lipa has fully captured the essence of pop music and its core aesthetic with her album “Future Nostalgia,” which won her Best Pop Vocal Album. The outfit choices worn by her ranged from large and elegant to small and danceable, all within the same pink and purple shimmered scheme.
Taylor Swift owned the stage with a beautiful, enchanted forest set to perform a combination of songs “cardigan” and "august” from her summer album “folklore” and “willow” from her winter album “evermore.” Her entire floral, fairytale presence graced the entirety of the Grammy’s, with her matching dress and mask brightly standing out amongst the outfits of the night.
Swift left the Grammy’s taking away Album of the Year for “folklore,” which broke history, making her the first female artist to win album of the year three times.
An additional record breaker is none other than Queen B herself. Beyoncé broke Grammy history by becoming the first female artist to win 28 Grammy awards. While earning two Grammys with Megan Thee Stallion for “Savage” earlier in the night, her new title was earned with Best Music Video for “Brown Skin Girl” and Best R&B Performance for song “Black Parade,” which came out on Juneteenth and is a song celebrating Black power and resilience, making this a monumental win.
“As an artist, I believe it's my job and all of our jobs to reflect the times,” she said in her acceptance speech. “It has been such a difficult time, so I wanted to uplift, encourage, celebrate all of the beautiful Black queens and kings that continue to inspire me and inspire the world.”
Numerous other women excelled at this year’s Grammy’s, such as Lady Gaga and Ariana Grande’s Best Pop Duo/Group Performance win for “Rain On Me” and H.E.R. and Tiara Thomas’ Song of the Year “I Can’t Breathe.”
The 63rd Grammy Awards will remain as the year of the woman, and hopefully much needed displays of diversity will only continue to grow as the years progress.
emelvin@ramapo.edu
