Every year in the United States thousands of fans tune in to watch the Grammys. The award ceremony focuses on the music industry, and it is even considered by many to be the most prestigious award that an artist can receive. But every year more and more fans disagree with the results.
It may come as a surprise, but many music sensations like Katy Perry and BTS have never won a Grammy. The Grammys have been commonly accused of “robbing” artists of their well-deserved rewards. Because of this, many hold the sentiment that the award show simply nominates artists who will garner the most views.
One of the most controversial topics that became center stage during this year’s Grammys was the category of Best Rap Album. Killer Mike won the grammy for Best Rap Album; however, many others have held a belief that Travis Scott should have won. Despite Travis Scott’s innumerable amount of impact on today’s pop culture and music industry, he surprisingly has still never won a Grammy.
Lambert Senior, Hanming Sun, commented on his opinion.
“As someone who listens to both, I think they both did a good job,” he explained. “Personally though, I feel like Travis Scott should have won if we consider it at a holistic level. While Killer Mike’s music was good, Travis Scott had more influence on the public.”
Yet another controversial category that has taken the internet by storm was the Album of the Year. Taylor Swift won the Album of the Year for her album “Midnights”, but many people agree that SZA should have won the award for her album “SOS.”
“In terms of popularity, Taylor definitely would win,” Sun said. “But if we’re taking into account the overall impact the album had, and what that album meant for the artists themselves in their career, I feel like SZA should have won.”
Another problem that many people had with the Grammys this year was the controversy around Taylor Swift. During the performances, Taylor Swift was seen singing and dancing to many of the songs performed, and many people found this unprofessional. She was also criticized for bringing Lana Del Ray on stage when she won a Grammy and not acknowledging Celine Dion.
Every year during the Grammys the most popular artists perform their most popular songs. This year Olivia Rodrigo performed her song “Vampire” and since has received a lot of criticism. People thought her singing was disappointing and the performance overall was unpolished and did not live up to her studio-recorded version. Others have said that she was nervous to perform at the Grammys, but after a world tour and numerous performances, this statement is debatable.
Despite the endless controversies, there were some well-deserved wins for artists that came out of the Grammys this year. Miley Cyrus won her first Grammy after 17 years of her career for Best Solo Pop Performance with her song “Flowers.” Billie Eilish also won Song of The Year for her song “What Was I Made For?”
Additionally, “Oppenheimer’s” soundtrack won best score for visual media, against “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever”, “Barbie”, “The Fabelmans” and “Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny.”
“I was most happy with this win,” Hanming Sun commented. “I watched the movies “Oppenheimer” was competing against, and I agree that “Oppenheimer” had the best soundtrack amongst them.”
Overall the Grammys are a turbulent of opinions, performances, and drama. Every year someone will be unhappy with the results, and that is to be expected. However, the Grammys thrive off of controversies and drama, ensuring that despite discontented opinions, they will retain a prevalent influence on the music industry for years to come.
