The 62^nd Grammy Awards took place on Sunday, January 26^th, shortly after the tragic announcement of Kobe Bryant’s passing in a horrific helicopter accident. Alicia Keys, hosting the Grammys for the second time, opened the show with teary eyes and made an emotional tribute to Bryant on how unimaginable it was to have lost a hero, along with his daughter Gianna, in this way. Keys also put on a touching performance of It’s So Hard to Say Goodbye to Yesterday with Boys II Men, who happened to attend the ceremony. This performance marked the first of several touching tributes to the late basketball legend at this year’s Grammys. 

The Duo Who Made History: Billie Eilish and Finneas

Billie Eilish, one of the music industry’s most talented, authentic, and unique artists, swept the award show with record-breaking wins. She became the youngest person ever to be nominated for and win all four major categories (Best New Artist, Album of the Year, Record of the Year, and Song of the Year) in one night and the first female artist to do so—Christopher Cross being the only other artist to cement all four wins in 1981.

At the age of 18, she broke the record for the youngest person ever to win Album of the Year with her debut album When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go?, a record previously held by Taylor Swift at the age of 20 with Fearless in 2010. Eilish’s debut album was written and produced entirely in a bedroom in her house with her brother Finneas, who also won Producer of the Year, Non-Classical at the Grammys.

In addition to the four big wins, Eilish also took home the trophy for Best Pop Vocal Album, winning five Grammys out of six nominations.

Finneas spoke up upon receiving the honour of Album of the Year, “[we] wrote an album about depression and suicidal thoughts and climate change and being the ‘Bad Guy,’ whatever that means,” he said, “and we stand up here confused and grateful.” He also encouraged young people to keep following their music dreams. “This is to all of the kids who are making music in their bedrooms today, you are gonna get one of these [Grammys].”

The album introduced a brand new teen-pop vibe filled with clean beats, crisp sounds, and Eilish’s haunting vocals. From the dark drum beats in You Should See Me In A Crown and Bury A Friend to emotional story-telling in Wish You Were Gay and When The Party’s Over, Eilish has shown how much an 18-year-old teenage is capable of doing, both in songwriting as well as singing. 

The most interesting song to me personally would be the closing song on the album, Goodbye, which takes one line of lyrics from each previous song on the album. The song is filled with dreary and yet bright chord progressions with a gloomy synth sound, connecting every song and transforming them into this single piece of art in a truly brilliant way; the interconnected, conflicting chords and draggy vocals all come together in a harmonious way that made this album a complete work of art.

The Flute: Lizzo

After being a solo artist for many years, Lizzo finally got the recognition she deserved as the night’s most nominated artist with eight nods including Album of the Year. She ended up winning three trophies including Best Pop Solo Performance for her Billboard No.1 single, “Truth Hurts”.

She opened the ceremony with a jaw-dropping, show-stopping performance with her powerful vocals and moves, connecting “‘Cuz I Love You” and “Truth Hurts” with an interlude of an orchestral ballet and a costume change. She also delivered the most iconic runs and trills on a flute that descended from above on a plastic tray while she belted out “Truth Hurts”, showcasing her amazing flute skills, which she has practiced since she was 12 years old.

The Snubbed: Lana Del Rey and Ariana Grande

Although Billie Eilish’s big wins were all well-deserved, different opinions were voiced after the ceremony. Lana Del Rey and Ariana Grande were seriously snubbed at the Grammys, having seven nominations in total, with zero wins for either of them.

Lana Del Rey’s Norman F****** Rockwell! is one of this year’s most critically acclaimed albums, earning an extremely high rating on Pitchfork with a 9.4 score. Her elegant 5^th studio album is her most complex and the deepest expression of her genius musicality and musicianship. This sonically cohesive album is filled with her signature profound lyrics, produced by Jack Antonoff, who has produced many other successful albums for some of the biggest pop stars in the music industry. The overall aesthetics and the atmosphere of Norman F****** Rockwell! is filled with love, sadness, self-identity, America, and regrets; her voice echoes to where your soul lies. You can listen to the entire album in one sitting. It’s almost as if you were watching an old Americana film in your head. The imagery appearing in your imagination will shock you, the deep emotions that you feel will make you regret not listening to the album sooner. If you didn’t cry listening to this album, listen to it twice—feel the lyrics running through your veins, feel the emotions pouring from your heart, and feel the tingly sensations in your soul. This album is my favourite album of the year, period.

Ariana Grande was also robbed at the show this year; she was nominated in five categories including Song of the Year, Album of the Year and Record of the Year with zero wins. Grande’s Thank U, Next album was released only half a year after her previous No. 1 album, Sweetener, following the tragic death of her ex-boyfriend Mac Miller. Thank U, Next represents Grande’s emotional journey through some of the biggest changes of her personal life, from winning her first Grammy award last year for Best Pop Vocal Album, to getting engaged to and later breaking up with Pete Davidson, to having to cope with the emotional pain of Miller passing away. The album’s three singles, “7 Rings”, “Thank u, Next”, and “Break Up With Your Girlfriend, I’m Bored” were simultaneously on the top three spots of Billboard 100, breaking the record that was previously set by The Beatles in 1964. In “Needy” and “Ghostin”, she strips down to her most vulnerable side, which she has never shown publicly or in her music. Accompanied by light piano and dreamy synth strings, these two songs are beautifully produced and represent the two emotional peaks of this album, showing people that it is okay to be vulnerable.

Personally, I was very happy to see so much more female representation in the Grammy Awards this year. From the number of female artist nominations to perfect performances, we need to recognize these talented women, these artists who capture their lives through the art of music.