The 63rd Annual Grammy Awards took place on Sunday, March 15. The four hour-long show was hosted by Trevor Noah at an outdoor venue in Los Angeles. The show was allowed a small audience made up of both nominees and performers, all of whom were wearing masks and social distancing.
COVID-19 restrictions gave producers the opportunity to switch up the show’s formatting this year. As Noah explained during his opening monologue, producers wanted the show to feel like one long concert since it has been so long since people have been able to experience live music. As a result, artists performed back-to-back sets instead of just one artist performing every few minutes.
Harry Styles opened with his hit song “Watermelon Sugar,” which also won an award for Best Pop Solo Performance. Billie Eilish followed immediately after and sang “Everything I Wanted,” which won Record of the Year. After Eilish was the band Haim, who performed “The Steps” in their Grammy debut.
Image/ Billboard
The rest of the show featured over 20 different artists of all different genres. Dua Lipa was a fan-favorite with a lively performance of her hits “Levitating” and “Don’t Start Now.” The singer was also successful on the awards end of the show, winning Best Pop Album for “Future Nostalgia.”
Image/ E! Online
The biggest star of the night, however, was Beyonce. The singer took home four awards ─ Best Rap Performance and Best Rap Song for “Savage” with Megan thee Stallion, Best Music Video for “Brown Skin Girl” and Best R&B Performance for “Black Parade,” which she wrote in light of the Black Lives Matter protests. These awards bring her total number of Grammys to 28, breaking the record for the most of any female artist in history.
Image/ Los Angeles Times
Many other black artists seemed to honor the Black Lives Matter movement through their music and their performances. Singer-songwriter H.E.R. won Song of the Year for “I Can’t Breathe,” which she wrote in honor of George Floyd and other victims of police brutality. Rapper Lil Baby performed his song “The Bigger Picture,” which he also wrote in the wake of George Floyd’s death. He highlighted police brutality throughout his performance and showcased other activists, who demanded change from both President Biden and society as a whole.
Image/ Billboard
Black Lives Matter was not the only social issue that the Grammys decided to highlight. They also brought awareness to the many venues that are struggling as a result of COVID-19. They allowed employees from various clubs and theaters across the country to present an award after describing how the pandemic affected them and their venue. It was definitely a reality check, especially for the Grammys, which is known for its flashy performances.
Black Lives Matter was not the only social issue that the Grammys decided to highlight. They also brought awareness to the many venues that are struggling as a result of COVID-19. They allowed employees from various clubs and theaters across the country to present an award after describing how the pandemic affected them and their venue. It was definitely a reality check, especially for the Grammys, which is known for its flashy performances.