The 2024 Grammy Awards was a night of celebrations and record breaking, as well as some snubs and surprises. The ceremony took place Sunday night at the Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles. Comedian Trevor Noah hosted the show for the fourth consecutive year, providing light-hearted commentary throughout the night.
The big winners included Miley Cyrus and Billie Eilish. Cyrus won her first two Grammys, after only receiving two nominations in years prior. She took home Best Pop Solo Performance and Record of the Year, both for her hit single “Flowers”, which debuted in January 2023. Eilish won Song of the Year for “What Was I Made For?” Her single featured in the film “Barbie” which premiered this past summer. She shared the award with her brother FINNEAS, who served as a co-writer on the track. In her acceptance speech, she thanked Greta Gerwig, the director of “Barbie”, for giving her the platform to write and perform the song.
Of course, pop sensation Taylor Swift left her mark on the Grammys stage. Swift took home both Best Pop Vocal Album and Album of the Year for “Midnights”, her tenth studio album released in October 2022. In her acceptance speech for Best Pop Vocal Album, Swift surprised fans by revealing the news that her eleventh studio album, “The Tortured Poets Department”, would be released in April. Album of the Year marked Swift’s fourteenth Grammy win and her fourth in that category, setting a new record for the number of Album of the Year awards held by one artist.
Despite Swift’s recent success, she wasn’t the favorite to win the award. Many thought that it should have gone to SZA’s “SOS”, which had the longest run on the Billboard 200 out of all the nominees. The decision to give the award to Swift caused many to question the Recording Academy’s bias against R&B and hip-hop, which notoriously do not do well in the category. This concern was also raised last year, when Beyonce’s “Renaissance” lost the title to Harry Styles’ “Harry’s House”. Her husband, Jay-Z, criticized the Recording Academy for this in his acceptance speech for the Dr. Dre Global Impact Award, which was recognized at the ceremony for the first time last year. His comments called out suspected racial bias by the Recording Academy.
SZA wasn’t the only artist with losses that night. Both Jon Batiste and Olivia Rodrigo, previous Grammy winners, went home empty handed despite receiving six nominations each. In 2022, Batiste won five Grammys, including Album of the Year, and Rodrigo won three, including Best New Artist. The rock/alternative trio Boygenius received seven nominations, but only took home three awards during the daytime ceremony for Best Rock Performance, Best Rock Song and Best Alternative Music Album, missing out on the larger, televised categories, such as Record of the Year.
The award show would not have been complete without featured performers. Nominees Olivia Rodrigo, Miley Cyrus and Billie Eilish all took the stage. Billy Joel performed his new track “Turn the Lights Back On,” which is his first new release in almost three decades. Arguably the best performance of the night was a duet between Joni Mitchell and Brandi Carlile, bringing many audience members, including Beyonce and Meryl Streep, to tears.
Although the night was celebratory for some, for others it was full of some disappointment and surprise. While all the winners were deserving, it is important to acknowledge the success and talent of all the nominees.
Ili Pecullan is a sophomore in the College of Human Ecology. She can be reached at [email protected].