The 64th Annual Grammy Awards took place on Sunday, April 3 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada. Stars from all over the world walked the red carpet, performed, and some even received multiple awards.
Artists such as Olivia Rodrigo, Billie Eilish, Carrie Underwood, H.E.R, and Lady Gaga all performed during the award ceremony. Two performances that received a lot of praise were Olivia Rodrigo’s “Drivers License” and Billie Eilish’s “Happier Than Ever.” The two stars have gained a lot of popularity in the past couple years and added great emotions into the show with their dramatic breakup songs.
Rodrigo had an especially successful night, leaving the awards ceremony with three grammys. These included Best New Artist, Best Pop Vocal Album, and Best Pop Solo Performance. She also happened to drop one of her awards later in the night, breaking it in half and quickly erupting into a meme on various social media platforms.
During the show, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy shared a few words through a video message. Afterward, John Legend performed a hymnlike new song, “Free”, joined by poet Lyuba Yakimchuk, singer Mika Newton, and bandura player Siuzanna Iglidan, all from Ukraine.
Emily Osterman, a senior Education major, said “I thought it was really meaningful that the Grammy’s took a moment to address what is happening in the world. Even though it’s a pop culture event, it’s important to talk about what is happening around us.”
Alongside this serious topic, there were also fun moments in the night that viewers have been talking about, including Doja Cat and SZA’s win for best pop duo/group performance. SZA struggled up the stage on crutches, explaining later that she fell out of her bed before she came to the awards ceremony. Doja Cat almost missed the award completely because she happened to leave to use the bathroom five minutes prior.
Jelissa Reyes, a junior Criminal Justice major, states, “I think Doja Cat is hilarious. She literally makes everything so lighthearted and a joke, she made the night.”
Though pop music was highly praised throughout the award ceremony, rap struggled throughout the night. Not many rappers attended the event, though rappers such as Jack Harlow, Nas, and Lil Naz X did perform. Lil Nas X actually used reactions to his music in a medley that featured Jack Harlow. He flashed internet reactions in the background of the performance, creating a unique visual performance.
Kanye West, who has recently been in the media a lot lately due to his crazy posts and actions, was absent from the Grammys. He received two rap awards, Best Rap Song and Best Melodic Rap Performance, but was not there to accept them.
Host Trevor Noah received some criticism for his comedy throughout the night. He started the show poking fun at the most recent slapping incident that occurred about two weeks ago at the 2022 Oscars between actor Will Smith and comedian Chris Rock. He joked in his opening monologue, “We’re going to be dancing, we’re going to be singing, we’re going to be keeping people’s names out of our mouths,” as a short dig at Smith. Though he received laughs throughout the night, some people thought that he was taking some jokes too far, even making fun of the accents in the movie House of Gucci.
As stars walked the carpet, performed, and simply sat in the audience through the night, they all came dressed to impress. Some of the more highly praised outfits throughout the night included SZA, in a vintage Jean Paul Gaultier dress with a corset and silk flowers flowing down it, Dua Lipa, in an Atelier Versace black dress with gold metallic detailing, along with Justin Bieber in an oversized Balenciaga suit and Hailey Bieber in a silk white and elegant Saint Laurent dress.
Other stars received significant criticism for their looks, including Billie Eilish in an oversized black Rick Owens piece, Tayla Parx in a Super Mario-esque dinosaur costume, and Dillon Francis wearing a simple t-shirt, black jeans, and vans sneakers outfit.
Overall, the 2022 64th Annual Grammy Awards were nothing but what was expected. There were good and bad performances, highly praised and criticized fashion, laughs and seriousness, but overall an entertaining night with awards given to lots of deserving artists.
