This year’s Grammys was jam-packed with memorable performances. Miley Cyrus won her first Grammy, Taylor Swift announced a brand new album and even though it was not televised, boygenius won three awards. Here is my opinion on the best and worst moments during the 66th annual Grammy Awards, as well as a recap of the best outfits.
Female artists dominated the show, whether it was with nominations, awards or performances. Taylor Swift, Billie Eilish, SZA and Boygenius were just a small handful of women that won.
The performances were on another level this year. Luke Combs performed “Fast Car” as a duet with the song’s original performer and writer Tracy Chapman. Each of them took turns singing as Chapman strummed the iconic riff. Before the performance, Combs explained how “Fast Car” was one of his first favorite songs, that he had covered the song millions of times and added it to his album “Getting Old” on a whim. His love for the song and his love for Tracy Chapman showed in the footage, as he was continuously smiling ear to ear while singing and watching her perform.
Chapman was not the only icon to make an exciting comeback. Joni Mitchell performed “Both Dies Now,” the 1969 hit song that was on her Grammy-winning album “Joni Mitchell at Newport.” Her show at the Newport Folk Festival was her first performance in 20 years. Even though she was gracefully sitting on a throne the entire performance, Mitchell’s singing still sounded magnificent and the performance ended in a standing ovation from the audience.
Billie Eilish and Finneas’s performance of “What Was I Made For” was a high point during the ceremony. The performance was cinematic, the camera panning and camera glares, in addition to Elise’s belting and the orchestra surrounding the two musicians, heightened the emotion in the already-sentimental song. Eilish was dressed as a Barbie for the performance.
Miley Cyrus performed “Flowers” for the first time on television. It was just her on the stage. She channeled her inner Tina Turner with her fringed-lined dress that showcased her muscles when she commanded the crowd to sing and dance. She spontaneously danced as she sang her heart out, and it looked like she was having the time of her life celebrating her first Grammy award. “Flowers” is a song about liberation, and that was exactly what Cyrus was conveying on stage. She was unapologetically being herself up there, and I loved that for her.
The “In Memorium” this year was more special than previous years. Multiple music icons paid tribute to ones who have passed, in addition to the usual names flashing on the screen and the orchestra performing a somber song in the background. Stevie Wonder honored Tony Bennent with a duet with Bennet himself shown on the screen. I thought that this was going to be it and then the names would flash on the screen like previous years. However, the lights went dark, and a spotlight shined on Annie Lennox as she gave a chilling, spot-on rendition of “Nothing Compares to You” in honor of Sinéad O’Connor. In classic O’Connor and Lennox fashion, she ended the performance with her fist raised, commanding, “Artists for Ceasefire, Peace in the World,” before the orchestra started playing transition music for the next performance. Lenny Kravitz honored Clarence Advent, a music executive who served as a mentor for black musicians for decades. Jon Batiste, accompanied with Oprah Winfrey, introduced an iconic Tina Turner tribute performed by Fantasia. Unfortunately, but not surprisingly, a few people were missing from the 20-minute “In Memoriam,” including Smash Mouth’s Steve Harwell and The Killing Joke’s Geordie Walker.
One of the worst moments of the show was the CGI in the filler videos that introduced performances. The filler videos that feature nominated artists were not needed. Each video featured an interview with the artist about whether the song or the album was being nominated. It reminded me and my sisters of the Masked Singer and the weird CGI they use to create the backstory for the contestants. The CGI seemed unnecessary, and I would have rather seen the interviews and archival footage as is.
Another shocking moment was when Lizzo served as an announcer for “Best R&B Song.” It was surprising given that she was accused of sexual harassment and disability harassment late last year. Everyone applauded her when she took the stage which was cringe-inducing.
There were a few outstanding outfits this year, but for me boygenius won my award for best dressed. Julian Baker, Phoebe Bridgers and Lucy Dacus graced the Grammys pre-show and the televised Grammys in matching white suits, each adorned with “artists for cease fire” pins and pink carnations. The carnations served as a reference to “We’re In Love” and honored Elliott Smith by mimicking what he was wearing in the “Miss Misery” video. He was also supposed to wear a pink carnation when he was nominated for the song, but he was told to take it off. The additional members of boygenius and Bo Burnham were also wearing the same accessories.
Other competitors were Miley Cyrus and Taylor Swift. Miley Cyrus looked sleek in a black dress that glittered magnificently in the spotlights. Her hair was in a full blowout and mimicked other iconic idols like her godmother Dolly Parton. She looked truly magnificent. During her performance of “Flowers,” she was wearing a silver dress with a fringe at the bottom. The silver dress framed her arm muscles and her blow-out. Taylor Swift celebrated her new album “The Tortured Poets Department” wearing a simple white dress and black gloves. She also had a black folding fan for her so that she could talk and gossip without people being able to read her lips.
