The Grammys: The Elated and the Angered

This year’s Grammy Awards was a triumphant, celebratory night for many. The annual ceremony took place in Los Angeles on 14 March for the 63^rd year running, with those excelling in the music industry coming together to honour their achievements, congratulate the announced winners, and indulge in live music.

Record-breaking Women Reign

It was a monumental evening. Iconic artist, Beyoncé, set a new record with her 28^th win, making her the most-awarded woman in Grammys history. This year she won the award for Best R&B Performance, presented in honour of ‘Black Parade’; a celebration of black power and resilience. As she collected the award she said, “I wanted to uplift, encourage, celebrate all of the beautiful black queens and kings that continue to inspire me and inspire the world.”

“it was a monumental evening”

‘Black Parade’ wasn’t the only song recognised for its impact in reflecting on the ‘Black Lives Matter’ movement however. R&B artist, H.E.R, won Song Of The Year for ‘I Can’t Breathe’, a song that pays tribute to George Floyd and quotes his last words. When accepting the award she said she never imagined “that my fear and my pain would turn into impact. That’s why I write music.”

But they weren’t the only females to make history at the event. Taylor Swift made a mark by becoming the first female artist ever to win Album Of The Year three times, with her lockdown release Folklore. The only artists to also have won this award three times are Stevie Wonder, Paul Simon, and Frank Sinatra.

Other females to take away awards this year included Billie Eilish for record of the year with ‘Everything I Wanted’, Dua Lipa for Best Pop Vocal Album with Future Nostalgia, Megan Thee Stallion for Best New Artist, and Lady Gaga and Ariana Grande for Best Pop Collaboration with ‘Rain On Me’.

A Return Of Live Music

National treasure, Harry Styles, was amongst the live performances on the night, opening the ceremony with his track ‘Watermelon Sugar’, followed by Billie Eilish and Haim. Styles later went on to win Best Pop Solo Performance for the song, making him the first member of One Direction to win a Grammy.

“it was a night to remember”

Kaytranada won Best Dance Recording and Best Dance/Electronic Album with Bubba, taking two awards away from the night. Awards were also accepted by The Strokes for Best Rock Album, Nas for Best Rap Album, and John Legend for Best R&B Album. It was certainly a night to remember with memorable award-winners and live performances, particularly Megan Thee Stallion and Cardi B’s performance of record-breaking track ‘WAP’.

Boycotting The Ceremony

But amongst the elation, there was also frustration. Prior to the night, some artists expressed their disagreement with the event and its decision making. On 9 March, artist Zayn Malik showcased his opinion in a tweet that read “F*ck the Grammys and everyone associated. Unless you shake hands and send gifts, there’s no nomination considerations. Next year I’ll send you a basket of confectionary.”

“the space that creates and allows favouritism, racism, and networking politics to influence the voting process”

Malik’s most recent album, No One Is Listening, was released in January this year and the window to be nominated for a Grammy closed at the end of September 2020, meaning his album wasn’t eligible for this year’s nominations. Because of this, many assumed that it couldn’t have been himself he was referring to in the tweet but perhaps a chance to throw shade at his former band member Harry Styles.

However, he later clarified in a tweet that it “was not personal or about eligibility” but rather about “the need for inclusion and the lack of transparency of the nomination process and the space that creates and allows favouritism, racism, and networking politics to influence the voting process.”

Was The Weeknd Snubbed?

Canadian singer-songwriter, Abel Tesfaye, better known in the music industry as The Weekend, was also one to announce he wouldn’t be attending the event. Despite the artists track ‘Blinding Lights’ being the most streamed song on Spotify in 2020 and the positive reaction to his album After Hours, he was not amongst the nominees to win a Grammy award this year.

The Recording Academy released its list of 2021 Grammy nominations back in November 2020 and after seeing that he wasn’t on the list, Tesfaye took to Twitter to share his thoughts in the tweet “The Grammys remain corrupt. You owe me, my fans, and the industry transparency.”

“many have accused the Grammys of having biases against women and black artists”

Over its run of 63 years, the ceremony has received a lot of scrutiny. Many have accused the Grammys of having biases against women and black artists, alongside holding a voting system that’s unfair. Viewers have claimed that there is an issue with the fact an ‘anonymous committee of experts’ is used to review the initial nominations for the categories as well as determining who gets a nomination.

The Academy’s Response

Recording Academy Chair and CEO, Harvey Mason Jr, responded to Tesfaye in a statement commending him for his music. “Unfortunately, every year there are fewer nominations than the number of deserving artists.”

Ahead of the event, Tesfaye issued a statement announcing his decision to boycott in the future. “Because of the secret committees, I will no longer allow my label to submit my music to the Grammys.” His manager Wassim Slaiby hoped this would inspire other artists to speak out as well. “This is Harvey’s chance to step up and have his legacy be the guy who got the Grammys finally right.”

It’s no understatement to say that this year’s Grammy awards sparked its fair share of both festivities and challenges. As far as music goes, let’s hope this year brings the industry as much success as the last.

Danielle Saunders 

Tweet to @danielleelizx

Featured image courtesy of Claudio Schwarz | @purzlbaum via Unsplash. Image license can be found here. No changes were made to the image.