The 67th Annual Grammy Awards brought the drama but with it a sign of a new future for award shows.
The Grammys, hosted this year by Trevor Noah, demonstrated a new direction for the Recording Academy toward more artist transparency through their selection processes.
From The Weeknd’s sudden return to the Grammy stage and many artist speeches commenting on our country’s current affairs, this Grammy Awards introduced an open conversation on the treatment, politics, and recognition of today’s artists.
This year’s Grammys was special. Even without mentioning surprises like Kanye West’s unexpected entrance and exit, this year symbolized a change in how we consume and understand the Grammys.
These changes will continue to impact how we consume and evaluate the Grammys in the future as they make an effort to respond to criticisms.
The current president and CEO of the Recording Academy, Harvey Mason Jr., spoke out on complaints from artists including The Weeknd since his start as President in 2020 while displaying the comments from past articles on the Grammy screen for the audience.
The CEO introduced The Weeknd after discussing the academy’s plan for a more diverse and younger voting panel that represents the values of present musicians.
‘I believe these changes have been long overdue and a necessary shift for the Grammys to make to truly represent an artist’s creative expression.
When award shows uplift music that focuses on a certain performer’s commercial success, it undercuts the achievements of artists and punishes their fans. Audiences watching these award shows feel the absence of musicians who have chosen to not attend or perform at these events.
Other artists including Frank Ocean, Drake, and The Weeknd have boycotted the Grammys in previous years for the Academy’s lack of transparency towards artists and their viewers, according to The New York Times.
The Weeknd’s return to the Grammys on Sunday showcased a medley performance of songs including “Cry for Me” and “Timeless” from his newest album “Hurry Up Tomorrow.”
I believe that the Recording Academy’s actions to rekindle its relationship with The Weeknd will improve its public image and credibility. It feels nice to witness a change in these awards and we can only hope that this sentiment will demonstrate a difference in future award shows
The Academy’s plan included initiatives like the Black Music Collective, Academy Proud, and Women in The Mix, all dedicated to focusing on and implementing minority perspectives and communities into the Recording Academy decision panels, according to Harvey Mason Jr. during his speech
Although the academy is taking endeavors in the right direction for further representation in music awards, the road to complete change is yet to come.
If there was one aspect of the Grammys this year that created many defining moments, it was artist acceptance speeches.
The results of the awards have been widely debated. However, many notable wins represented the Recording Academy’s commitment to celebrating artists that both reached commercial success but also demonstrated great musicality.
Speeches usually are made with gratitude and appreciation for an artist's family or production team, but this year's speeches focused on being outspoken on issues that resonated with developing artists.
Of course, family members and collaborators received their thanks but when artists took the stage, many of them found the greater issues of the world were important to discuss.
Artists such as Lady Gaga and Chappell Roan spoke out against recent actions against the transgender community during their time at the Grammys. This was in response to several of President Donald Trump’s executive orders signed this last month barring the transgender community from enlisting or serving in the military and participating in high school or collegiate sports among other things.
Gaga made her statement while winning the award for Best Pop Duo/Group Performance for her song “Die With a Smile” with Bruno Mars. Gaga spoke out on the visibility of trans people in music honoring their right of deserving love and optimism in a space of artists from all cultures.
I feel that Lady Gaga’s statement served as a reminder that many in the transgender community are currently dealing with fears of cultural erasure and systemic discrimination. Chappell Roan continued to highlight the impact that transgender women have had on her career in a comment she provided to GLAAD, “I would not be here without trans girls.” Roan’s music has inspired me and many other girls since its release and has opened a new perspective to queer music that I wasn’t exposed to.
This year, the event was overshadowed by the devastating wildfires spreading across Los Angeles and many of those who attended this have been affected just like thousands of others by the destruction this tragedy has caused.
Despite this, Hollywood decided to use their influence to advocate for donations in the Recording Academy’s partnership with MusiCares to go towards victims of this fire. While their efforts are valiant, it underscores the reality of many of the individuals impacted in need of long-term support, as the aftermath of such a devastating event requires sustaining resources over temporary aid.
This Grammys also featured phenomenal success for first-time nominations and Grammy winners including artists like Doechii, Roan, and Sabrina Carpenter.
Doechii made history by being the third woman ever to win Best Rap Album since the awards installation in 1989, according to The Recording Academy. In Doechii’s speech, she acknowledged Cardi B being the last woman to win as she presented the award to her for her album “Alligator Bites Never Heal.”
In Doechii’s acceptance speech, she spoke about her experience as a Black woman in the music industry and about how she wanted this to be a way for her to inspire other Black women out in the world to shoot for the moon because “anything is possible”.
Doechii’s win was not only a reflection of her talent as a lyricist and rapper but also a reminder of the achievements of Black women in art and their impact on music culture.
This victory is a stark contrast to the past underrepresentation and disregard of Black women in spaces like the Grammys when artists like Beyoncé received their first win for Album of the Year after 99 total nominations.
The Recording Academy’s failures to properly recognize Black women and the media highlight a consistent cultural bias that has resulted in the deprivation of their massive talent and influence.
Doechii followed her historical win with a stellar performance of her songs, “CATFISH” and “DENIAL IS A RIVER,” demonstrating her talent in this category and her future in rap to come.
The 67th Annual Grammy Awards was not only a win for top celebrities like Beyoncé, Kendrick Lamar, and Charli xcx to name a few, but a new tribute to rising genres and voices.
New category introductions including Best African Music Performance, Best Alternative Jazz Album, and Best Pop Dance Recording were established in 2024 to represent diverse tastes beyond mainstream Pop music, according to the Recording Academy website.
The Recording Academy has been focusing on addressing and appreciating all forms of music and artists through embracing smaller genres. There is now more visibility for categories like Latin, Indie, and Hip-Hop music that have defined cultures despite not receiving the same commercial success as Pop music.
This Grammy Awards was about recognizing past mistakes and taking action towards rectifying them through their influence. Part of this was shown in how artists took responsibility to address social injustices not only in the music industry but throughout their communities.
The 67th Annual Grammy Awards are an example of the continuously changing music industry through the artist's impact on creating and defining culture.
Though the Recording Academy has made efforts towards accountability to focus on inclusivity and transparency in their decision process, it is still too early to tell if this change will impact the awards long term.
