By Camille García, 11th grade.

Once again, the 66th edition of the Grammys took place on Sunday, February 4, 2024, in Los Angeles, more specifically at the Crypto.com Arena. As we know, these awards recognize musical stars and artistic talents, both emerging artists and those who already have a long history and continue to stand out in the music industry which is very diverse today. That is why there are all kinds of nominations for different musical genres, compositions, artists of the year, best recordings, producers, etc. The host of these awards was Trevor Noah and Dua Lipa opened the Grammys with her songs “Dance the Night Away, Houdini and Training Season.”

These are the highlights of the night: Taylor Swift continues to shine, being the only artist who has won a Grammy for best album 4 times. She used to be tied with artists like Stevie Wonder, Paul Simon, and Frank Sinatra but she has already surpassed them. On the other hand, the Colombian artist Karol G managed to win a Grammy for Best Urban Music Album, which caused great pride for her Latin American fans. Also, Miley Cyrus won her first Grammy ever, which is shocking because of the great career she has had over the years and how much she has stood out for her music. In addition, Tyla, the South African artist won a Grammy for Best African Music Performance, this made her country very proud and it was a great achievement since she recently started her musical career, and at a young age, she already managed to win such a prestigious award. This means that this artist promises a lot for the future. These are the artists who have had the most recognition on social networks for their achievements. Celine Dion made a surprise appearance at the Grammys, which shocked many because she was away for a while thanks to her illness. She presented the album of the year and received a standing ovation upon leaving. “When I say that I’m happy to be here, I really mean it from my heart,” said Dion.

Regarding the nominations and their winners, we will again mention Taylor Swift, specifically who won a Grammy for Best Album of the Year for her album “Midnights” released in 2022. Among this category there were other well-known artists nominated, such as Olivia Rodrigo with her album “GUTS” which caused a lot of impact after her fans waited two years for her to release a new one after “SOUR” which was so successful. Many think that she deserved to win this nomination. There was also SOS, by SZA who has had great recognition on social networks, especially on Tiktok. And others like Endless Summer Vacation by Miley Cyrus, and World Music Radio by Jon Batiste, among others. The next category was “Record of the Year,” which Miley Cyrus won with her song “Flowers.” Other nominations were “Was Was I Made For?” by Billie Eilish, which was on the soundtrack of the Barbie movie and was highly successful, also “On My Mama” by Victoria Monét, “Vampire” by Olivia Rodrigo, “Anti-Hero” by Taylor Swift, “Kill Bill” by SZA, among others. Miley Cyrus also won “Pop Solo Performance.”

The next category was “Best New Artist”, Victoria Monét won, the others were Ice Spice, Coco Jones, and Jelly Roll, among others. Then, in “Mexican Music Album,” he won Featherweight with “Génesis.” “Urban Music Album” was won by Karol G with his album “Mañana will be nice”, there was also “Data” by Tainy, many thought that this album deserved the Grammy much more. Tainy is one of the best Latin American producers and his nominated album had many collaborations and the musical production is excellent. Other important nominations, are:

• Song of the year: What Was I Made For? (for Barbie), composed by Billie Eilish O’Connell and Finneas O’Connell.
• There was a tie between Juanes and Natalia Lafourcade in “Latin or alternative rock album.”
• Composer of the Year: Theron Thomas
• Best R&B Song: SZA – Snooze
• Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album: Laufey – Bewitched
• Best Compilation Soundtrack for Visual Media: Various Artists – “Barbie, the Album”

Something that bothered fans a lot is that Lana del Rey did not win a single Grammy. She is an artist who has a great career. She had 5 nominations this year and even Taylor Swift herself said: “I think a lot of female artists wouldn’t be where they are and wouldn’t have the inspiration they have if it weren’t for the work she’s done. I think he is a legend. “Her musical style has inspired many women and she has been in the industry for a long time, so many found it outrageous that Lana did not win the Grammys. Tonight was starred by women since in this edition the majority of the nominations had female artists. The winners of the most important nominations were women including Taylor Swift, Miley Cyrus, Billie Eilish, and Karol G among others. Taylor also surprised many by announcing her 11th album: “The Tortured Poets Department.”

Moving on to the live performances, there were stars like Stevie Wonder, Olivia Rodrigo, and Miley Cyrus (who sang her winning song “Flowers” ​​and replaced the lyrics with: “I just won my first Grammy”, this moved many because their energy and Her personality shows what a great artist she is and how talented she is). She paid tribute to Tina Turner. Also, Billie Eilish with the song of the year: “What I Was Made for?”. One of the most moving parts of the evening occurred during the remembrance of people who passed away in the previous year. Tony Bennett was honored with a special tribute by music icon Stevie Wonder. Standing ovations were given by everyone in attendance when Wonder and Bennett, as a duo, played the beloved song For Once in My Life while Bennett was on screen. The moment when protest song icon Joni Mitchell, making her first appearance at the Oscars, sang her 1966 hit song Both Sides Now.

That night was full of iconic moments and stars who proved once again why they are nominated for these awards. These are made to celebrate music and recognize these important legends in the industry. As we can see, many stars won their first Grammys and we could also see how women swept the awards and women of different Latin and African nationalities, making their countries proud and making a difference. Receiving an award like this marks the success of their musical careers, knowing that their musical style and talent are worthy of this award. According to behavioralscientist.org: ”While winning an award prompts creativity and innovation, nominations alone result in conformity. Winning an award can be the big break that catapults an artist into stardom. A Grammy Award could vault an album up the charts. Or make a career.”

A Grammy is a big thing, and that’s why many think that many of the best albums and artists in history were “stolen.” According to Business Insider: The most prestigious Grammy Award has failed to honor some of the most beloved albums in history, from “Abbey Road” to “SOS.” They think that these awards are losing their value and that they are giving them to anyone. Unfortunately, times are not what they used to be and it is very easy for a song to stick nowadays. Thanks to social networks like Instagram and Tiktok, any song that has rhythm and becomes popular can win a Grammy. As is the case of Tyla, for example, who with the short time she has in the industry managed to win one. So from what you perceive, you don’t have to do much to win a Grammy, but this doesn’t mean that artists with little experience don’t deserve an award like this. The numbers speak for themselves, and if they won it was fair. But the criteria to win is definitely not the same, because the networks influence the success of a song too much. We will see if this is the case next year.

References:

Giacomo Negro, B.K. (2023) How winning (or losing) a Grammy changes the music artists make – by Giacomo Negro, Balázs Kovács, & Glenn Carroll, Behavioral Scientist. Available at: https://behavioralscientist.org/how-winning-or-losing-a-grammy-changes-the-music-artists-make/ (Accessed: 19 February 2024). 

Grammy 2024: Estos Son Los Ganadores de los premios de la música en una gala en la que Taylor Swift Hizo Historia(no date) BBC News Mundo. Available at: https://www.bbc.com/mundo/articles/c6p98w51ddro (Accessed: 19 February 2024). 

Kimble, L. (no date) The 2024 Grammy awards: A full recap including Taylor Swift’s big wins and Tracy Chapman’s incredible performance, Peoplemag. Available at: https://people.com/2024-grammys-full-recap-8558511 (Accessed: 19 February 2024).