By Nehitha Jayakumar
It was a big night at the 66th annual Grammys packed with amazing performances and historic wins. So, in case you missed it, here are the top moments from music’s biggest night.
One of the most talked about performances of the Grammys this year was Luke Combs and Tracy Chapman’s heartwarming duet of the song “Fast Car”. This song was released in 1988 by Tracy Chapman and covered by Luke Combs in his latest album “Gettin’ Old” to pay homage to Chapman’s legendary song. The breathtaking duet brought the audience to their feet. This performance at the Grammys was Tracy Chapman’s first big public appearance after she chose to step out of the spotlight in 2020. Another notable moment at the Grammys was when Miley Cyrus won her first Grammy for Best Pop Solo Performance for her song “Flowers”. She then went on to perform the hit song at the Grammys, bringing the audience to their feet and singing along.
Perhaps one of the most talked about moments at the Grammys was when Taylor Swift won her lucky number 13th Grammy – for the best pop vocal album for ‘Midnights’ – and made the announcement of her 11th studio album “The Tortured Poets Department” being released on April 19th. Swift set the record of winning the album of the year for the fourth time–more times than any other artist in the music industry. It is an understatement to say that the women dominated the Grammys this year. While it wasn’t surprising that women like Taylor Swift, SZA, and Billie Eilish dominated the ceremony, it is also important to note that so many other less-known women artists were awarded. Lainey Wilson took home the Grammy for the best country album and country duo/group performance. 22-year-old Tyla won the Grammy for the best African American music performance. Furthermore, Karol G was the first woman to win best música urbana. This sudden increase in women wins this year at the Grammys signals a change in tides in the recording academy to be more inclusive of women’s music.
Another key moment at the Grammys was when Jay-Z was awarded with Dr. Dre Global Impact Grammy, but what was the highlight was his acceptance speech. Accompanied by his 12 year old daughter Ivy Carter, Jay-Z accepted his award on stage but decided to give a surprising speech. Jay-Z called out the recording academy for being discriminatory towards black-artists, using his own wife–Beyonce–as an example. In all her years in the music industry Beyonce has never won album of the year, which hasn’t been given to a black woman in 25 years. Hopefully the recording academy will take Jay-Z’s concerns into consideration and implement changes in the future. While they have shown to be more inclusive of women this year, there is no doubt that there is still work that needs to be done.
