Grammy Awards review: New artists win big

The 62nd Annual Grammy Awards took place at the STAPLES Center in Los Angeles, California. Pop artist and rapper Lizzo opened the show with “Cuz I Love You,” the title track off her album, and “Truth Hurts,” which incorporated an orchestra, ballet sequence and of course, a flute. She dedicated her performance to Kobe Bryant, who died on Sunday in a tragic helicopter accident.

Lizzo, best known for her feel-good anthems, led with eight nominations and won her first Grammy for Best Pop Solo Performance with “Truth Hurts.”

Host Alicia Keys, alongside Boyz ll Men, also paid a short but beautiful tribute to Bryant in his home arena.

The academy recognized many new names that dominated pop music this past year.

Billie Eilish, who made a breakthrough in pop music in 2019, swept up in several major categories, winning Song of the Year, Best Pop Vocal Album, Best New Artist, Record of the Year and Album of the Year alongside her brother and producer Finneas O’Connell. 

She is now the youngest winner of Album of the Year at 18, which was previously held by Taylor Swift who won for “Fearless” back in 2010.

Swift, who garnered three nominations for her critically acclaimed album “Lover,” was expected to attend and perform at the show but chose not to due to the recent Grammy controversy. She unfortunately didn’t take home a gramophone this year.

Another new beloved face in the industry is Lil Nas X, who did a star-studded performance of “Old Town Road”– a song we all know and love – with Billy Ray Cryus, BTS and 13-year-old viral sensation Mason Ramsey. The performance featured remixes, multiple neon sets and extravagant outfits. Nas X won Best Music Video and Best Pop Duo/Group Performance along with Cryus for “Old Town Road.”

Camila Cabello returned to the Grammy stage to perform “First Man,” a slow ballad off her new album “Romance,” and dedicated the performance to her father. A montage of childhood videos of her and her dad played in the background. At the end of the song, Cabello walked down to her father in the audience and sang directly to him as he was in tears.

Demi Lovato delivered a stunning, emotional performance of “Anyone,” a song that she wrote days before her overdose back in 2018. She stood in a white gown and belted the lyrics with pain and passion, pleading for anyone to listen, to provide support in a time of need. This prompted a standing ovation for Lovato and marked her first performance since her overdose.

Other notable acts include Usher, who was joined by FKA twigs in his tribute to Prince. Ariana Grande went into the show with five nominations including Album of the Year for “thank u, next” and Record of the Year for “7 rings,” but didn’t win any. She performed a three-song medley of “imagine,” “My Favorite Things” from “The Sound of Music” and “7 rings,” living up to her impressive vocals and choreography.

But of course not everything at the Grammy runs smoothly. The Jonas Brothers took the stage to perform their new hit “What A Man Gotta Do,” and viewers were bothered after they noticed Nick Jonas had food stuck in his teeth. To some fans it looked like Jonas was missing a tooth, and Jonas himself laughed it off tweeting: “And at least you all know I eat my greens.”

The Grammy this year were missing high profile acts such as Beyoncé and Swift, but welcomed and featured young and new talent across the board including the likes of H.E.R. and Maggie Rogers. 

Tyler, the Creator won his first Grammy for Best Rap Album. Eilish, the star of the show, shared a heartfelt moment with Grande after winning Album of the Year, claiming her album deserved it, to which Grande responded by waving her off and supporting her win. 

Artists from diverse backgrounds came together to celebrate a night of music, and most notably, love.