By Sophia Glenn
What. A. Night… Am I right? The 66th Grammy Awards happened on Feb. 4, and as the biggest night in music, it did not disappoint. As someone who has attended the Grammy Awards for the past four years (I know, right), I consider myself well-versed on the topic. Although I did not participate in this year’s awards, I am interested to see what this year’s awards brought to the table compared to previous years.
We started with the hottest topic of conversation at the moment, Taylor Swift winning Album of The Year, then announced her brand new album. First of all, let’s acknowledge that by Swift winning, she made history as the first artist to win this award four times. And if that wasn’t enough for her, she decided to announce a brand new album released on April 19, “The Tortured Poets Department,” while accepting her award. The Swifties (including myself) were all under the impression of her re-releasing “Reputation (Taylor’s Version)” after she dropped easter eggs on Instagram over the past few months. But this is even better. A brand new album with 17 new songs? Yes, please.
Although Taylor is getting praise for her record-breaking win and new album announcement, she is also getting some backlash over ignoring Celine Dion when accepting her award. The 55-year-old singer has been an iconic household name in the music industry for decades despite being diagnosed with Stiff-Person syndrome. Dion announced the Album of the Year award since she had previously won it, but when Taylor accepted her award, she did not thank Celine on stage and honestly did not even look her in the eyes. Even though Taylor does a pretty good job at giving credit where credit is due and staying humble, she missed the mark with this one.
In other news, Miley Cyrus won her first and second Grammy for her hit single “Flowers.” The two categories were Record of the Year and Best Pop Solo Performance. These wins were overdue; Cyrus has significantly influenced pop music for years, so it was about time. Her actual Grammy performance was incredible. If you haven’t seen it, run, don’t walk. The almost Tina Turner-inspired performance of “Flowers” was something new, and fans seemed to dig the new look. Although Cyrus did show herself in a new light, she won’t let us forget what she’s always been: rebellious and carefree. She made that quite apparent when she thanked people after accepting her award and said, “I don’t think I forgot anyone, but I did forget my underwear.” Of course, there are Karens on X saying how distasteful and tacky the remark was, but I loved every second of it. You can always count on Cyrus to lighten the mood with sexual innuendo. If it’s not the foam finger from the 2013 VMAs, it’s something else, and I don’t know about you, but I’m here for it.
Jay-Z’s speech after winning the Dr. Dre Global Impact Award was the most uncomfortable part of the night—an honorable award recognizing Dre’s accomplishments over the years. When Jay-Z accepted his award, his eldest daughter, Blue Ivy, accompanied him on stage. The speech started well as he thanked the Grammys Black Music Collective and Dr. Dre. The mood in the audience began to switch when he brought up how his wife, Beyoncé, has won the most Grammys in the room yet has not won Album of the Year. This is starting to sound familiar. His goal was to speak for the black community to gain more recognition and stop black artists from getting sidelined, which is very valid. Yet, I think his delivery was a bit off when he decided to take inspiration from Kanye West at the 2009 VMA’s.
The 66th Annual Grammy Awards exceeded my expectations by far. One can only imagine what next year will bring.