The biggest night in music, The Grammys. It brought together the most accomplished musicians in the world for a night of performances, awards, and celebrations and Bucks students were very pleased with the award show.
Some big winners of the night included Kacey Musgraves, Childish Gambino, Lady Gaga, Cardi B, St. Vincent, Ariana Grande, and many more.
Musgraves took home four Grammys for Best Country Solo Performance for “Butterflies,” Best Country Song for “Space Cowboy,” Best Country Album for “Golden Hour”, and the biggest honor of the night, Album of the Year.
Childish Gambino also won big with “This is America” earning Best Music Video, Best Rap Performance, Best Song, and Best Record, becoming the first rap artist in history to ever win Best Song and Best Record at the Grammys.
Bucks student, Sarah Yassin, a 20-year-old business major from Warminster, expressed her admiration for Childish Gambino saying, “I am a huge fan of him. I think he’s a genius. He’s so talented, you know?”
Bucks student Jose Castillo, a 20-year-old business administration major from Bensalem, also expressed his love for “This is America” saying, “I liked the video and song overall. Both of them together create a really great message.”
Alicia Keys, one of the biggest stars in music, hosted this year’s Grammys.
To start the night off, Lady Gaga, Jennifer Lopez, Jada Pinkett Smith, and Michelle Obama joined Alicia Keys on stage with an inspirational speech about the power of music and the power of women in music.
When asked about her thoughts on Alicia Keys as a host, Sarah Weinberg, an 18-year-old Bucks student from Yardley said, “She’s fantastic. I love her. She’s so talented, but also so empowering in general.”
In fact, the night was filled with performances and wins by female artists.
To open the show, nominee Camila Cabello performed her hit single “Havana” along with guests Ricky Martin, J Balvin, Young Thug, and, Cuban-American jazz trumpeter, Arturo Sandoval.
When asked about her favorite Grammy moment, Weinberg responded, “Camila was amazing, I love her. She opened the show. That was my favorite part definitely.”
Some other performers of the night included Janelle Monáe, H.E.R., Kacey Musgraves, Travis Scott, Cardi B, Lady Gaga, host Alicia Keys, and many more.
Among these performances was a classy tribute to Dolly Parton, the Grammys Person of the Year, that featured Katy Perry, Kacey Musgraves, Little Big Town, Marren Morris, Miley Cyrus, and Dolly Parton herself.
The women joined forces to perform some of Dolly’s greatest hits, and the performance sure was a hit with the audience.
What’s an award show without a little controversy? Drake mixed things up during his acceptance speech for Best Rap Song when he said, “Look, if there’s people who have regular jobs who are coming out in the rain, in the snow, spending their hard earned money to buy tickets to come to your shows, you don’t need this right here. I promise you, you already won.” Many praised Drakes speech, while others accused him of being ungrateful for the award.
Another big controversy surrounding the Grammys this year was Mac Miller’s nomination for Best Rap Album. The late rapper was nominated for his album “Swimming”, but lost to Cardi B’s “Invasion of Privacy.”
The controversy was not that he lost, it was more so surrounding the fact that the Grammys invited Miller’s parents out, knowing that he was to lose the award.
Ariana Grande, who won Best
Pop Vocal Album and was very close to Miller when he was alive, blasted the Grammys on social media for being inconsiderate to Miller and his family.
Despite the controversies, the 61 annual Grammy Awards was a great night filled with music and performances from today’s top artists as well as legends from the past. Now here’s to a new year full of even better music!