The 2024 Grammy Awards were held on Sunday, February 4, 2024, at the Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles, California. Emceed by comedian Trevor Noah for the fourth consecutive year, the show was stuffed with touching tributes, stunning performances, and controversial wins.
The ceremony’s big award, Album of the Year, went to Taylor Swift for Midnights. It was a contentious choice.
“I like Taylor,” sophomore Jessica Li shared, “but SZA was absolutely snubbed. Midnights is nowhere near [Swift’s] best work in my opinion and SZA put out such a great and versatile album that definitely deserved to win. [Additionally,] people are right to be upset when the last time a black woman won that award was in 1999!”
Other big winners included Miley Cyrus, who took home Record of the Year and Best Pop Solo Performance for her work on Flowers, Billie Eilish, who took home Song of the Year for What Was I Made For? from Barbie, and Victoria Monét, who won Best New Artist.
“Monét absolutely deserved [the] best new artist, though.” Li expressed, “She’s seriously talented.”
Tracy Chapman, the revered country music songwriter behind the chart-topping Fast Car, made a surprise appearance alongside Luke Combs to perform the aforementioned hit. Another surprise appearance came from Celine Dion, who withdrew from the public eye late last year amid a personal health struggle.
“When I say that I’m happy to be here, I really mean it from my heart,” Dion said as she took to the stage to a massive ovation. Dion presented Album of the Year.
There were some unsung victors, such as Paramore, who are the first female-fronted group to take home the award for Best Rock Album.
“Paramore puts out consistently good music, so they [should] be mentioned too,” explained junior Eve Ackiewicz. The most awarded musician of the night was Phoebe Bridgers, who left with a total of four awards in various, non-televised categories.
The ceremony also featured a thunderous 4-act In Memoriam segment, which opened with Stevie Wonder dueting with a projection of the late Tony Bennett, and closed with Fantasia Barrino and Oprah paying explosive tribute to Tina Turner. Jon Baptiste was joined by Jimmy Jam, Terry Lewis, Ann Nesby, and Cory Henry for a soulful section of the tribute.
Annie Lennox (of Eurythmics) also performed, backed by Wendy & Lisa. The trio paid respects to Sinéad O’Connor with a thrilling rendition of Nothing Compares 2 U.
“Artists for Ceasefire! Peace, in the world,” exclaimed Lennox at the end of the performance, raising her fist over the projection of O’Connor, honoring her lifelong dedication to activism.
The Grammy for Best Folk Album for Joni Mitchell at Newport, the live recording of the octogenarian’s surprise performance at the Newport Folk Festival last year. Mitchell proved to be the real winner of the evening, when she performed at the ceremony for the first time in her legendary, nearly 6-decade career. With the thump of her cane, the rotation of her throne, and a matured rendition of her song Both Sides Now, she swept the audience to tears.
While many may take issue with the winners at the ceremony this year, ultimately, the show was a success. Giving talented performers the time and audience to deliver a performance has always been the greatest virtue of the Grammys. This time, they really leaned into that aspect, and for it, this year’s Grammys will be remembered as a fantastic vehicle for great musical performances.
