Quinn Lugenbeel
arts editor
This year’s 62nd annual Grammy awards on Jan. 26 celebrated music with awards and performances and honored celebrities who died in the past year.
Billie Eilish headlined the Grammys, winning the most awards with five. She later said that she thinks that Ariana Grande deserved the album of the year award. Artist Lizzo was nominated for the most Grammys with eight nominations, winning three.
Other Grammy winners include Dan and Shay, Lil Nas X, Tyler, the Creator and Cage the Elephant. Students said they enjoyed the program. “I love watching the Grammys to see what everyone was wearing and to see who wins the awards for the year,” sophomore Charlotte Christovich said.
Host Alicia Keys opened with a parody to Lewis Capaldi’s song “Someone You Loved” where she highlighted the biggest events in the music industry from the year. Keys also started the night with a tribute to late basketball star Kobe Bryant, who died earlier that day. Other tributes to Bryant included a mention from Lizzo during her performance and his basketball jerseys being displayed in the Staples Center, which is the home of the Lakers, the team Bryant played for.
The Grammys honored rapper Nipsey Hussle who died in March 2019 with a song performed by Meek Mill, DJ Khaled, John Legend, Roddy Rich, Kirk Franklin and YG. “Here we are together on music’s biggest night. Celebrating artists that do it best, but to be honest with you, we’re all feeling crazy sadness right now because earlier today, Los Angeles, America, and the whole wide world lost a hero. And we’re literally standing here, heartbroken in the house that Kobe Bryant built,” Keys said.
Lizzo began the Grammys with the first performance of the night, singing “Truth Hurts.” Demi Lovato performed for the first time live in almost two years at the Grammys after a drug-related hospitalization in 2018. She courageously debuted “Anyone” with an emotional performance.
Camilla Cabello sang “First Man” to her father, who sat in the audience. She sang directly to her father, embracing in a hug at the end. Tyler, the Creator performed a melody of “Earfquake” and “New Magic Wand” with flames surrounding him and backup dancers dressed as clones of him. He ended the performance by falling off the stage into the flames. “My favorite performance was Tyler, the Creator’s because it was different from everyone else’s and fun to watch. I have never heard him live so that was really cool,” junior Jonathan Healy said.
Former CEO of the Grammys, Deborah Dugan, was placed on administrative leave only five months into the job the night before this year’s show. Dugan’s former assistant accused her of creating a toxic work environment. Dugan complained to the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission that the Academy should not be allowed to place her on leave as retaliation after she discovered sexual harassment and voting irregularities. The scandal continues to unfold, with Dugan asking to make the process open to the public.
