Music’s biggest night took center stage at the Grammy Awards hosted by Trevor Noah on Sunday, Feb. 4.
Performances spanned from 20-year-old Olivia Rodrigo to 80-year-old Joni Mitchell performing at her first Grammy. Female artists dominated this year’s awards show in almost every category.
Following Jo Koy’s disastrous Golden Globes, Trevor Noah restored comedy to award shows this season. Noah’s monologue set the stage for a packed night of entertainment. Instead of making fun of the artists like Koy did, he had them laughing along with him, even managing to humorously address Taylor Swift’s over-exposure at the Chief’s games.
Dua Lipa opened the night with her newest song, “Training Season.” Dressed in a black leather bodysuit and surrounded by male dancers, Dua Lipa showed the audience that dancing is another one of her talents. Her “Barbie” movie nominated song, “Dance the Night,” lost out to Billie Eilish’s fellow “Barbie” movie song “What Was I Made For?” Eilish, dressed in a 1965 vintage “Barbie” outfit sang the emotional hit song accompanied by her brother Finneas. Eilish’s reflective performance proved why she scored the “Grammy for Best Song.”
SZA, nominated for nine Grammys, took the stage wearing a black trench coat and sang her songs “Snooze” and “Kill Bill.” SZA’s performance was mesmerizing with backup dancers dressed as samurai women. A humble and clearly emotional SZA took home three Grammys for “Pop Duo Performance,” “R&B Song,” and “Urban Contemporary Album.”
Miley Cyrus gave an electrifying performance with her song “Flowers,” which earned Cyrus her first and second Grammy ever, winning both Record of the Year and Best Pop Solo Performance. Her performance was reminiscent of her idol Tina Turner’s “Proud Mary.” Cyrus had no less than five wardrobe changes during the evening, but her big hairstyle was a constant throughout the evening.
One of the night’s most powerful performances was the duet by country’s Luke Combs and folk singer Tracy Chapman. The song earned Chapman a Grammy in 1989 for “Best Female Pop Vocalist” and a 2024 nomination for “Best Country Solo Performance” for Combs. The unlikely duo delivered a performance that had the audience on their feet singing this classic song
The night proved exciting for Taylor Swift and her fans. While giving her acceptance speech for winning the Grammy “Pop Vocal Album” for “Midnights,” Taylor announced her 11th studio album titled “The Tortured Poets’ Department.” The album will be released on April 19th. As someone who enjoys listening to Swift’s music, I am very excited about the release of the album.
A surprise appearance during the night was Celine Dion returning to the stage to announce the Grammy for “Album of the Year.” Dion, who is struggling with health issues, was greeted by a standing ovation. Dion presented the award for Album of the Year to an overwhelmed Swift for “Midnights.” Swift made history by becoming the first person to win this award four times, breaking the record previously held by Stevie Wonder, Paul Simon, and Frank Sinatra. If history is any indicator, Swift will be back next year to pick up more awards for “The Tortured Poets’ Department”. I for one, cannot wait for it!
