The Grammys, hosted by comedian and former host of The Daily Show, Trevor Noah, featured an eclectic and emotional mix of performances, a major announcement by Taylor Swift, and after three decades of anticipation, a new Billy Joel song. The awardery started before the show, on February 4th, began; almost four hours before cameras were rolling, SZA, who led the field with nine nominations going into the night, and Phoebe Bridgers won the Best Pop Duo/Group Performance for “Ghost in The Machine.” Both went on to win more, with the former proceeding to take home two more of the gilded gramophones, netting both Best Urban Contemporary Album and Best R&B Song. Bridgers won thrice in her capacity as band member of the pop supergroup boygenius. Other big winners included music from the blockbuster movie Barbie, Killer Mike, and up-and-comer Victoria Monét. Meanwhile, a notable first-time victor was Miley Cyrus, who garnered two trophies for her 2023 single “Flowers.”
Performances by the likes of Dua Lipa, Billy Joel, Miley Cirus, Tracy Chapman and Luke Combs, Annie Lennox, Billie Eilish and Finneas, Joni Mitchell, and many more entertained both television and in-person audiences. The opening performer of the night, Dua Lipa, sang a medley of disco-pop hits “Dance The Night,” “Houdini,” and the yet-unreleased “Training Season.” Billy Joel, himself a 6-time GRAMMY winner, later performed “Turn The Lights Back On,” his first new release since the abrupt stop in his ultra-successful career thirty years ago. Tracy Chapman also played her 1988 single “Fast Car” with country singer Luke Combs, who covered the track in April of last year. For a moment of memoriam, the show stopped to honor singers who’d passed in 2023, with Annie Lennox delivering a powerful performance of Sinead O’Connor’s “Nothing Compares 2 U,” with Fantasia Barrino paying tribute to the late “Queen of Rock-’n’-Roll” in her performance of “Proud Mary” as well. Freshman Blertion Ramnabaja spoke about the event; “It was awesome!”
The most anticipated person of the night was, of course, global superstar Taylor Swift. To many fans’ surprise, after accepting the Grammy for Best Pop Vocal Album in “Midnights,” she announced her new album The Tortured Poets Department, releasing April 19th. The album, featuring Post Malone and Florence + the Machine, will have 16 tracks, with an additional 17th, “The Manuscript,” being available with a purchase of CDs, cassettes, or records on her website. “Yeah, I’m super excited!” says Junior Kinsely Stephens after being asked about the upcoming release. She later also won Album of The Year.
