62nd Grammy Awards Review

The Sixty Second Grammy Awards aired this past Sunday. The awards are the biggest and main show when it comes to music academy awards. They were filled with many surprises and performances from artists and musicians alike. 

General Field

For the first time since 1981, a single artist has won every single major category, including record of the year, album of the year, song of the year and best new artist. The 18- year-old that holds this title goes by the name Billie Ellish. The teen, whose full name is Billie Eilish Pirate Baird O’Connell, broke out of the underground when she released her #1 charting single, “Bad Guy”. The catchy single had all eyes on her, as she released her hit album When We Fall Asleep Where Do We Go? which debuted at number one and  broke records with its amount of sales. 

My opinion: As for the awards, I feel she generally got more than she was deserving of. Although the teen is incredibly talented and keen in creating musical art, awards like record of the year, which focuses on production as well as artist work, should’ve gone to the masterful production on Sunflower by Post Molone and Sway Lee or 7 Rings by Ariana Grande, which were both ballads that put these artists back into the main spotlight. As for album of the year, Lana del Ray’s album Norman F***ing Rockwell! was her most intricate piece yet, and much more deserving of the award. 

Rap

Unlike the general award field, this year’s rap award winners were fairly justified and don’t need much change. The Best Rap Album award went to the genre-bending, and intricate album that was Igor by Tyler, The Creator. Tyler’s most intricate and heartwarming piece yet was a beautiful listening experience full of only high points. 

My opinion: I feel that awards like Best Rap performance could’ve used some tweaking. The winner “Racks in the Middle”, by Nipsey Hussle as well as Roddy Rich and Hit-Boy, fell flat. The Grammy realistically should’ve gone to the Exciting and loud, “Down Bad” by Dreamville artists J.I.D, Bas, J. Cole, EARTHGANG, and Young Nudy. Another award that fell flat was Best Sung/Rap Performance. The winner of the award, “Higher” with Nipsey Hussle, DJ Khaled, and John Legend, seemed undeserved as well, as the massive hit “Ballin” by Roddy Ricch and DJ Mustard was a banger for the ages. The catchy and foot-tapping abilities of the song make it so singable and listenable overall. 

Pop

Finally, the most notable category of Pop music seemed off as well. The Grammy for best Pop Duo/Group Performance went to Lil Nas X and Billy Ray Cyrus. 

My Opinion:  “Old Town Road” didn’t really fit in the Pop category. More fit for the award would’ve been “Sucker” by the Jonas Brothers or “Sunflower” by Post Malone and Sway Lee. The final category that was out of place was Best Pop Vocal Album. The final award that Billie Ellish swept, again, wasn’t justified. The album Thank you, Next by Ariana Grande and Lover by Taylor Swift were both more notable and better albums for the awards.