Trevor Noah hosted the Grammys on Sunday, Feb. 2 for his fifth straight year at Crypto Arena in Los Angeles. This year, the Grammys served as a charity to raise donations for MusiCares fire relief fund after devastating wildfires destroyed much of the city.
Noah asked every person inside the venue to donate to the fund during his monologue, especially major music industry executives.
As also mentioned by Noah, the show donated commercial airtime to businesses throughout LA who had been struck by the wildfires.
Celebrities made surprise cameos in each of the advertisements. One ad showed Orla Floral Studio being visited by Doja Cat. Then, Two Dragons Martial Arts featured a takedown of Charlie Puth. Additionally, Avril Lavigne showed up during the Paliskates skate shop ad, asking the audience to donate for the “skater boys and girls.”
“Music’s biggest night” featured performances by some of the biggest names in music right now: Billie Eilish, Sabrina Carpenter, Doechii, Raye, Chappell Roan and Charli XCX.
The first award given out went to Doechii. She was awarded Best Rap Album for “Alligator Bites Never Heal,” making her the third woman to win in this category. She later served an iconic performance, rapping “Catfish” and “Denial is a River.” The audience was on their feet the entirety of her set.
After a captivating Broadway adjacent performance that included a tap dance break, Sabrina Carpenter earned her first ever Grammy for Best Pop Vocal Album. “Short n’ Sweet” had an incredible year, debuting at number one on the US Billboard 200 chart. Additionally, it spent three weeks at the number one spot on the same chart.
Later in the night, British singer-songwriter Raye moved the audience with her hit “Oscar Winning Tears.” She stunned the crowd with her mesmerizing vocals, earning more than a few jaw drops from the stars in the room.
The next award given was Best New Artist, with nominees Chappell Roan, Sabrina Carpenter, Benson Boone, Raye, Doechii, Teddy Swims, Shaboozey and Khruangbin. Ultimately, Roan was awarded the title.
She dedicated her moment to call out record labels for not providing adequate living wages and health care for artists on the rise. Roan “demanded” the companies make these changes, a noble speech from someone who had previously suffered from lack of health care when she was just starting out in music.
Many artists also used their big moment to address political problems. Shakira dedicated her fourth Grammy to all the immigrants in the country when she said, “You are loved, you are worth it and I will always fight with you.”
Lady Gaga also spoke up when she and Bruno Mars won for Best Pop/Duo Performance. She showed her support for the LGBTQ community.
The final public call-out came from Alicia Keys when she was awarded Dr Dre’s Global Impact Award. In her speech, she addressed the recent threat to diversity, equity and inclusion measures. “DEI is not a threat,” said Keys. “It’s a gift.”
Making mention of historical wins and progress, Beyoncé won for Best Country Album with “Cowboy Carter,” making her the first Black woman in history to win the title.
“Cowboy Carter” also won Album of the Year, the most anticipated award of the night. Notably, this award was presented by firefighters of the LA community.
She was the first Black woman to win this category since Lauryn Hill in 1999. With this award, she has a total of 35 total wins. Beyoncé remains the most decorated Grammy artist.
After boycotting the Grammys since 2020, The Weeknd made a return to perform.
Abel Tesfaye, but known on stage as The Weeknd, held such a stance after his single “Blinding Lights” received no nominations for 2020. As a result, The Weeknd refused to submit any of his music to the Grammys these past five years.
His set was a true surprise for the audience, featuring show stopping vocals, strobe lights and even a surprise guest, Playboi Carti. Together they performed “Cry For Me” and “Timeless,” both from The Weeknd’s latest album “Hurry Up Tommorow.”
There was also a celebrating tribute to the music legend Quincy Jones. Cynthia Erivo sang “Fly Me to the Moon,” followed by Stevie Wonder and Herbie Hancock’s singalong to “We Are the World.”
To finish off the tribute, Janelle Monáe transformed into Michael Jackson to perform “Don’t Stop ‘Til You Get Enough.” She threw in some of Jackson’s signature moves and got the crowd back on their feet.
Chris Martin of Coldplay then sang “All My Love” to honor all the big names music lost this past year.
As Martin played the piano, there were pictures and videos that played behind him to honor artists like Liam Payne and Toby Keith.
The final three awards are considered the most anticipated awards of the night, with these being Record of the Year, Song of the Year and Album of the Year.
Record of the Year featured stellar nominees like Beyoncé, Chappell Roan, Sabrina Carpenter, Charli xcx, Kendrick Lamar, Billie Eilish and Taylor Swift. Lamar was awarded the title for his hit “Not Like Us.”
Lamar was also awarded Song of the Year for the same track. The audience was more than pleased with this decision, singing loudly the lyrics “Tryna strike a chord and it’s probably A minor.”
Lamar had an amazing night career wise, winning all five of the Grammys he was nominated for. This includes Record of the Year, Song of the Year, Best Rap Performance, Best Rap Song and Best Music Video.
Charli XCX gave the final performance of the night, ending the Grammys on an absolute high. She managed to transform the arena into a true underground club, parading from the outside loading zone to the main stage. She performed her hits “Von Dutch” and “Guess,” allowing the audience to let loose alongside her.
The Enligh star was awarded the first three Grammys of her career: Best Dance/ Electronic Album, Best Dance Pop Recording and Best Recording Package.
Several big names in the industry left the awards empty handed, such as Ariana Grande, Billie Eishlish and Taylor Swift. Grande was nominated in three categories, Eilish was nominated in seven and Swift was nominated in six.
