The Grammy stage is Americas Buckingham Palace, and the crowns belong to Prince Harry Styles and Queen Megan Thee Stallion. A small, elite group of royals draped in Dolce & Gabbana and Gucci celebrate, grieve, gossip and carouse in their annual kingdom. The scandal in the air is tangible. What were exes Taylor Swift and Harry Styles discussing during Doja Cats performance? Should John Mayer have attended, given his history of racist and sexist remarks? Why was Billie Eilish awarded Record of the Year over the more obvious choices? Americas eyes were glued to our royals: Beyonc, Bruno, Billie, Taylor, Doja, Harry, Megan, Dua, future princess Blue Ivy the list goes on. The show is an aesthetic feast of red carpets, flashy costumes and beautiful people, but behind the cameras and curtains looms a history of racism and sexism. Nevertheless, its the Grammys, musics most regal event, and fans across the world tuned in March 14, 2021 with excitement for a show that ostentatiously centered the Black Lives Matter movement alongside a healthy serving of feminist spectacle.
Despite the Recording Academys historic tendency to favor white men, this years ceremony was a groundbreaking night for women and artists of color, especially Black women. Beyonc casually earned her 28th Grammy, breaking bluegrass legend Alison Krauss record and becoming the most awarded female artist in Grammy history. And of course, Queen Beys daughter, Blue Ivy, became the second-youngest ever Grammy winner at nine years old for her writing contribution to Brown Skin Girl. KAYTRANADA became the first Black artist to win Best Dance/Electronic album for BUBBA, and Megan Thee Stallion took home three well-deserved Grammys for Best New Artist, Best Rap Performance and Best Rap Song. H.E.R. was awarded Song of the Year for her Black Lives Matter anthem, I Cant Breathe, and Best R&B Song for Better Than I Imagined. And, unsurprisingly, Taylor Swift became the first woman to win Album of the Year three times.
The domination of female artists in both the rock and country categories, which are typically boys clubs, was a refreshing reversal. For Best Country Album, bands with female lead singers and female solo artists made up all five of the nominations. Notably, Mickey Guyton made history as the first Black woman to receive a nomination for Best Country Solo Performance for her moving ballad, Black Like Me. For Best Rock Performance, all six nominees were also women or bands with female lead singers. Were the Grammys trying to perform emergency surgery on their reputation and prove how woke they are? Its a possibility, but regardless of motive, its high time female artists were shown some recognition in these genres.
As snubs go, The Recording Academy avoided major controversy for the most part, which was a welcome change of pace from the usual programming. Fans were skeptical as to why The Weeknd, Halsey and Selena Gomez (all people of color) were absent from the list of nominees. However, only two of the awards given out during the show seemed suspicious; Best Pop Solo Performance went to Harry Styles for Watermelon Sugar, and Record of the Year went to Billie Eilish for Everything I Wanted. While Styles and Eilishs respective tracks are masterful pop ear candy, these categories were stacked with more deserving heavy-hitters. Dua Lipa should have earned Pop Solo Performance for Dont Start Now, given the songs astronomical performance on TikTok, streaming services and radio over the past year, not to mention its tremendous cultural impactLipa single handedly revived 80s disco and brought the club to everyones bedrooms. Taylor Swifts game-changing Cardigan would have also been a more suitable choice for this category.
Record of the Year belonged to either Dua Lipa or Megan Thee Stallion for Dont Start Now or Savage, respectively. No disrespect to Eillish, who is one of the most inventive artists in the pop scene; Everything I Wanted just wasnt the record of the year. When music fans think back on 2020, theyll think of their failed attempts to learn the TikTok dances for Dont Start Now and Savage. To Eilishs credit, her acceptance speech was endearing. This is really embarrassing for me, she laughed, Megan, girlI was gonna write a speech about how you deserve this but then I was like theres no way theyre gonna choose me. She was visibly shocked and uncomfortable as she continued: You are a queen. I wanna cry thinking about how much I love you. The moment was yet another notch in the cringey lets-give-the-award-to-the-white-person Grammy belt; viewers may recall Macklemore winning over Kendrick Lamar in 2014 and Adele beating out Beyonc in 2017.
A meaningful highlight of the show for women, and especially Black women, was when Megan Thee Stallion and Beyonc won an otherwise all-male category for Best Rap Song, and took the stage together for a warm and fuzzy acceptance speech. In her dazzling burnt orange gown, Megan stood momentarily speechless next to Beyonc, whose proud maternal energy radiated through the TV screen. Between joyful tears and overwhelmed laughter, Megan accepted the award: If you know me, you have to know that ever since I was little I was like, You know what? One day, Imma grow up and Imma be like, the rap BeyoncIm always likewhat would Beyonc do but make it a little ratchet. In real time, we witnessed a solidifying of Megans icon status, and the younger Black woman from Texas taking her place as Gen Zs very own rap Beyonc.
Taylor Swift, Dua Lipa and Megan Thee Stallion were the leading ladies of music in 2020 and it showed in their performances. Swift sang a medley of Cardigan and August from Folklore as well as Willow from Evermore, the sister album to Folklore. She brought the otherworldly aesthetic of the twin albums to life, crooning from a small cottage in the midst of an eerie forest right out of Harry Potter. Dua Lipa also transported viewers to a far-off land: a dreamy, purple planet in the galaxy of Future Nostalgia. She opened with her massive hit Levitating in a magenta pink gown fit for a princess and finished off with the bop of the year Dont Start Now owning cutesy choreography like the bonafide pop supernova she is. Megan Thee Stallion put on a formidable spectacle, showcasing her chart-topping rapping while infusing elements of Broadway, the 50s, jazz and tap dancing. She opened with a snippet of Body off her latest album, Good News, before transitioning into TikTok hit, Savage, effortlessly conquering splits and complex choreography in an ethereal gold bodysuit.
Cardi B and Megan Thee Stallion, HAIM, Mickey Guyton, Silk Sonic and Lil Baby also gave noteworthy performances. The unmatched WAP rap duo and iconic pop rock band of Jewish sisters behind The Steps brought some serious badass lady energy to the stage. Guyton performed an impassioned, Gospel-infused rendition of her nominated anthem, Black Like Me, shining a light on the barriers Black women face in country music and their everyday lives. Silk Sonic, the new R&B megastar duo of Bruno Mars and Anderson .Paak, lived up to the hype as they sang their debut single, Leave The Door Open in matching russet colored 70s style suits. The two legends also smashed a tribute for Little Richard later in the show with .Paak on the drums and Mars belting out his signature vocal gymnastics into a vintage mic. Lil Baby made perhaps the most emphatic political statement of the night with a performance of his nominated single, The Bigger Picture, which included a choreographed re-enactment of the shooting of Rayshard Brooks. Evidently, the Wendys in Atlanta where Brooks was killed played a significant role in the rappers childhood. Lil Baby explained, I feel like Im serving my purposeto speak on stuff that I know people in my culture go through.
Overall, the performance lineup and major award categories of the 63rd Grammys helped to strategically fabricate an illusion that the glass ceiling has been broken and were on a high-speed rail to some kind of utopia. The Recording Academy made Megan Thee Stallion the main character of the show, repeatedly emphasized Beyoncs exciting new record and packed traditionally male-dominated categories with women. If you dont know much about the Grammys, you might buy into the seductive progressive fantasy. The truth? Over the last nine years, only 13 percent of Grammy nominees were women, and this years women-dominated event was comprised of an oh-so-generous 28 percent female nominees. Black artists are, to this day, confined to Black music categories and shut out from nominations and wins in the big four Grammys: Record Of The Year, Album Of The Year, Song Of The Year and Best New Artist.
The facade of inclusive recognition of marginalized groups is just that: a facade. Although there were faint signs of change and equity in the Grammys air this year, The Recording Academy still has work to do. I look forward to the day when artists who are gender and racial minorities are fully appreciated as masters of their craft, deserving of the highest honors in music. The day when the Grammys crown the musicians that women and people of color worship everyday in their headphones.
See the rest here:
The 'woke' 63rd Grammys in review The Miscellany News - Miscellany News
- Travel & Resources: DELHI / NEW DELHI - Utopia [Last Updated On: June 15th, 2016] [Originally Added On: June 15th, 2016]
- Travel & Resources: DELHI / NEW DELHI - Utopia [Last Updated On: June 16th, 2016] [Originally Added On: June 16th, 2016]
- Utopia - New World Encyclopedia [Last Updated On: June 16th, 2016] [Originally Added On: June 16th, 2016]
- Utopia (book) - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia [Last Updated On: June 17th, 2016] [Originally Added On: June 17th, 2016]
- Chanel Mirage, Utopia, New Moon Illusion d'Ombre ... [Last Updated On: July 31st, 2016] [Originally Added On: July 31st, 2016]
- New Utopia Design Build - Los Angeles, CA, US 90012 [Last Updated On: August 14th, 2016] [Originally Added On: August 14th, 2016]
- THE NEW UTOPIA - Libertarian [Last Updated On: September 20th, 2016] [Originally Added On: September 20th, 2016]
- NEW TOWN UTOPIA by Christopher Ian Smith Kickstarter [Last Updated On: October 20th, 2016] [Originally Added On: October 20th, 2016]
- Travel & Resources: HONG KONG - Gay Asia and... - Utopia [Last Updated On: December 7th, 2016] [Originally Added On: December 7th, 2016]
- THE NEW CHAIN REACTION - Game Show Utopia [Last Updated On: December 7th, 2016] [Originally Added On: December 7th, 2016]
- DELHI / NEW DELHI: Massage and Spas - Utopia [Last Updated On: December 7th, 2016] [Originally Added On: December 7th, 2016]
- First Listen: Sinkane, 'Life & Livin' It' - NPR [Last Updated On: February 6th, 2017] [Originally Added On: February 6th, 2017]
- Who is authorized to bind your family business to contracts? - Lexology (registration) [Last Updated On: February 6th, 2017] [Originally Added On: February 6th, 2017]
- Meanwhile in Canada Things Are Just as Bad - New York Times [Last Updated On: February 6th, 2017] [Originally Added On: February 6th, 2017]
- Stellaris: Utopia expansion lets you craft megastructural ringworlds - PC Gamer [Last Updated On: February 6th, 2017] [Originally Added On: February 6th, 2017]
- 'Stellaris' Utopia DLC Gets First Trailer; Will Introduce New Buildings And Perks - iDigitalTimes.com [Last Updated On: February 6th, 2017] [Originally Added On: February 6th, 2017]
- Utopia Pipeline project to bring 300 temporary jobs to New Philadelphia - New Philadelphia Times Reporter [Last Updated On: February 6th, 2017] [Originally Added On: February 6th, 2017]
- With violin in hand, Mark Menzies finds hope for the future in the past - Los Angeles Times [Last Updated On: February 6th, 2017] [Originally Added On: February 6th, 2017]
- Revolution: Russian Art review from utopia to the gulag, via ... - The Guardian [Last Updated On: February 7th, 2017] [Originally Added On: February 7th, 2017]
- Brooklyn's A/D/O Co-Working Space Is Building a Utopia for Creatives of All Kinds - Artsy [Last Updated On: February 7th, 2017] [Originally Added On: February 7th, 2017]
- Austra encourages listeners to imagine new, bolder futures - San Francisco Chronicle [Last Updated On: February 9th, 2017] [Originally Added On: February 9th, 2017]
- Michael Loong Proposes New, Sustainable Ideology to Achieve Utopia in China - Satellite PR News (press release) [Last Updated On: February 9th, 2017] [Originally Added On: February 9th, 2017]
- French photographer builds supernatural Astana, calls it Utopia of the 21st Century - Astana Times [Last Updated On: February 9th, 2017] [Originally Added On: February 9th, 2017]
- The village aiming to create a white utopia - BBC News [Last Updated On: February 9th, 2017] [Originally Added On: February 9th, 2017]
- A notable show BAMPFA's 'Hippie Modernism: The Struggle for ... - Berkeleyside [Last Updated On: February 10th, 2017] [Originally Added On: February 10th, 2017]
- British Airways Concorde 'Alpha Foxtrot' Arrives at New Bristol Home - AirlineGeeks.com (blog) [Last Updated On: February 11th, 2017] [Originally Added On: February 11th, 2017]
- In praise of utopias, not dystopias: Salutin - Toronto Star [Last Updated On: February 11th, 2017] [Originally Added On: February 11th, 2017]
- The Bannon-Trump Arc of History - American Spectator [Last Updated On: February 13th, 2017] [Originally Added On: February 13th, 2017]
- Everybody's Pop-Up Shop Throws a Wild AntiFashion Week Party With Adwoa Aboah - Vogue.com [Last Updated On: February 15th, 2017] [Originally Added On: February 15th, 2017]
- Plotting 'No-Place' in 'Utopia Neighborhood Club' - Seattle Weekly [Last Updated On: February 15th, 2017] [Originally Added On: February 15th, 2017]
- Utopia releases its next version of master data governance solution ... - SDTimes.com [Last Updated On: February 15th, 2017] [Originally Added On: February 15th, 2017]
- Bruno Ganz on New Film About Last Days of East Germany: 'This Is a Subject That Will Never Let Me Go' - Variety [Last Updated On: February 17th, 2017] [Originally Added On: February 17th, 2017]
- New Barbarians: Inside Rolling Stones' Wild Seventies Spin-Off - RollingStone.com [Last Updated On: February 17th, 2017] [Originally Added On: February 17th, 2017]
- Drought-crazed utopia flushes away common sense - NewHampshire.com [Last Updated On: February 17th, 2017] [Originally Added On: February 17th, 2017]
- Lenkom Theater: From Soviet utopia to post-modern dystopia - Russia Beyond the Headlines [Last Updated On: February 18th, 2017] [Originally Added On: February 18th, 2017]
- GHOST To Record "Darker" New Album This Summer, Tease Completely New Lineup - Metal Injection.net [Last Updated On: February 18th, 2017] [Originally Added On: February 18th, 2017]
- Protest Cabaret: Ithaca's Resistance - Cornell University The Cornell Daily Sun [Last Updated On: February 18th, 2017] [Originally Added On: February 18th, 2017]
- Fighting for Utopia in Tough Times - AlterNet [Last Updated On: February 22nd, 2017] [Originally Added On: February 22nd, 2017]
- Mardi Gras brings on the fun - Tullahoma News and Guardian [Last Updated On: February 22nd, 2017] [Originally Added On: February 22nd, 2017]
- Angela Henderson-Bentley: New take on Jack the Ripper an idea whose 'Time' has come - Huntington Herald Dispatch [Last Updated On: February 23rd, 2017] [Originally Added On: February 23rd, 2017]
- Knowledge can fight ignorance: New speakers series will shed light on Yemen - Detroit Metro Times [Last Updated On: February 23rd, 2017] [Originally Added On: February 23rd, 2017]
- Hygge Is Where the Heart Is - New York Times [Last Updated On: February 24th, 2017] [Originally Added On: February 24th, 2017]
- Utopia is coming, with a basic income for all - The Times (subscription) [Last Updated On: February 26th, 2017] [Originally Added On: February 26th, 2017]
- Government shakeups and political unrest are coming to Stellaris in its Utopia expansion - PCGamesN [Last Updated On: February 26th, 2017] [Originally Added On: February 26th, 2017]
- Rutger Bregman: 'We could cut the working week by a third' - The Guardian [Last Updated On: February 28th, 2017] [Originally Added On: February 28th, 2017]
- The board hoard: your guide to the best new board games - The Guardian [Last Updated On: February 28th, 2017] [Originally Added On: February 28th, 2017]
- Tempted To Move Out Of The US? New Zealand Wants To Help You Escape - Forbes [Last Updated On: February 28th, 2017] [Originally Added On: February 28th, 2017]
- THE SOUND OF MUSIC to Welcome New 'Georg von Trapp' on Tour in Hershey - Broadway World [Last Updated On: February 28th, 2017] [Originally Added On: February 28th, 2017]
- Stellaris Utopia Gameplay Expansion Out In April - Attack of the Fanboy [Last Updated On: February 28th, 2017] [Originally Added On: February 28th, 2017]
- At BAMPFA, 'Hippie Modernism' Proves the Fight for Utopia is Far from Over - KQED [Last Updated On: February 28th, 2017] [Originally Added On: February 28th, 2017]
- Stellaris Utopia Set To Launch April 6th - One Angry Gamer (blog) [Last Updated On: March 1st, 2017] [Originally Added On: March 1st, 2017]
- Railcar derailment in Utopia due to vandalism: Cando Rail Services - Simcoe.com [Last Updated On: March 1st, 2017] [Originally Added On: March 1st, 2017]
- Stellaris: Utopia Path to Ascension release date trailer - Gameplanet [Last Updated On: March 1st, 2017] [Originally Added On: March 1st, 2017]
- JUSTIN JOHNSON: It's a TRAP! - SCNow [Last Updated On: March 1st, 2017] [Originally Added On: March 1st, 2017]
- Watch brutal Xenomorph attack in new 'Alien: Covenant' trailer - CNET [Last Updated On: March 1st, 2017] [Originally Added On: March 1st, 2017]
- Dr. John to headline Utopia Fest in final year at Four Sisters Ranch - austin360 (blog) [Last Updated On: March 2nd, 2017] [Originally Added On: March 2nd, 2017]
- Want utopia? Start with universal basic income and a 15-hour work week - Wired.co.uk [Last Updated On: March 2nd, 2017] [Originally Added On: March 2nd, 2017]
- Extreme Channel 4 reality challenge Mutiny makes its sailors suffer - iNews [Last Updated On: March 4th, 2017] [Originally Added On: March 4th, 2017]
- Utopia Frozen Yogurt and Coffee House | Ellensburg, WA [Last Updated On: March 4th, 2017] [Originally Added On: March 4th, 2017]
- March 4, 2017 - EDP Foundation - Utopia/Dystopia / Hctor Zamora: Order and Progress - E-Flux [Last Updated On: March 4th, 2017] [Originally Added On: March 4th, 2017]
- Utopia for Realists and How We Can Get There by Rutger Bregman digested read - The Guardian [Last Updated On: March 5th, 2017] [Originally Added On: March 5th, 2017]
- A taste of 'Utopia' - Otago Daily Times [Last Updated On: March 5th, 2017] [Originally Added On: March 5th, 2017]
- Father John Misty references Taylor Swift in new song, 'Total Entertainment Forever' - EW.com [Last Updated On: March 5th, 2017] [Originally Added On: March 5th, 2017]
- Time After Time May Be Your New Bad TV Obsession - Gizmodo [Last Updated On: March 6th, 2017] [Originally Added On: March 6th, 2017]
- 'Time After Time' delivers Jack the Ripper to modern-day New York - Long Beach Press Telegram [Last Updated On: March 7th, 2017] [Originally Added On: March 7th, 2017]
- Why everyone hates the GOP's new health plan - The Week Magazine [Last Updated On: March 8th, 2017] [Originally Added On: March 8th, 2017]
- A modern utopia: Inside the UK's first women-only housing community - International Business Times UK [Last Updated On: March 8th, 2017] [Originally Added On: March 8th, 2017]
- Utopia Now! - Institute for Ethics and Emerging Technologies [Last Updated On: March 11th, 2017] [Originally Added On: March 11th, 2017]
- Hello Cuba, Adios Utopia: Cuban Art in Texas - Observer [Last Updated On: March 11th, 2017] [Originally Added On: March 11th, 2017]
- Whole of It: 'Free Cake at the Top' - Scottsbluff Star Herald [Last Updated On: March 12th, 2017] [Originally Added On: March 12th, 2017]
- Utopia in the Time of Trump - lareviewofbooks [Last Updated On: March 12th, 2017] [Originally Added On: March 12th, 2017]
- The Nature of Robots - Film School Rejects [Last Updated On: March 17th, 2017] [Originally Added On: March 17th, 2017]
- Utopia Multimedia Festival brings artistic talents together in one place - Taranaki Daily News [Last Updated On: March 17th, 2017] [Originally Added On: March 17th, 2017]
- The Electoral College is right for New Mexico - Albuquerque Journal [Last Updated On: March 19th, 2017] [Originally Added On: March 19th, 2017]
- Equal writes and the best new women fiction: Book reviews - Express.co.uk [Last Updated On: March 19th, 2017] [Originally Added On: March 19th, 2017]
- Liberal America Has A Sweden Fetish - GOOD Magazine [Last Updated On: March 21st, 2017] [Originally Added On: March 21st, 2017]
- Utopia Creations travels to Florida - Journalism.co.uk [Last Updated On: March 21st, 2017] [Originally Added On: March 21st, 2017]
- A Well-Ventilated Utopia - The New York Review of Books [Last Updated On: March 21st, 2017] [Originally Added On: March 21st, 2017]
- 500 years after Sir Thomas More's Utopia, what have we learned? - The Sydney Morning Herald [Last Updated On: March 21st, 2017] [Originally Added On: March 21st, 2017]
- This Swiss Startup Is Bringing AI to the Music Label Business - Bloomberg [Last Updated On: March 23rd, 2017] [Originally Added On: March 23rd, 2017]