The Pandemic Somehow Made the Grammys Better

The Grammys have a long and storied history of pissing people off. No matter who the Recording Academy nominates and chooses to win, the annual celebration of popular music will surely snub someone's favorite artist and crown someone's most hated act.

Last year's event was particularly dire, not because of the winners, but because of Kobe and Gianna Bryant's death that day, as well as the ouster of then Recording Academy CEO Deborah Dugan, who criticized the Grammys for institutional sexism, clouding the entire evening. Sunday was poised to be a disaster after 12 months of the pandemic delayed the ceremony and amid ongoing controversies about the Weeknd's snub and alleged abuser Dr. Luke’s nomination under a pseudonym. (Regarding the latter, 2021 winner Fiona Apple blasted the move and threatened to destroy her awards in protest if she won). 

With all of that in mind, it's a miracle that the 2021 Grammys wasn't a catastrophe. In fact, it was even an improvement from years prior, thanks to the revamped format the CBS production was forced to take on. While the event is normally held at the Staples Center with a packed crowd, this year, due to COVID-19 protocols, it was relegated to the Los Angeles Convention Center across the street with a distanced, masked, and outdoor ceremony and a multiple-stage indoor area for performances. The circular stage setup inside was basically borrowed from the British music TV show Later with Jools Holland, and it was the saving grace of the entire broadcast. There was something endearing and organic about watching musicians about to play like Haim and Billie Eilish politely dancing and applauding to Harry Styles and Dev Hynes performing "Watermelon Sugar" to kick off the show. 

The atmosphere was stripped down and often seemed more like a battle of the bands or a casual outdoor dinner party than "Music's Biggest Night." That's not a knock: the lowkey vibe made it feel like it was actually about the music. Host Trevor Noah only had a couple of cringe jokes and he didn't overdo it, which is basically all you can ask for in an awards show MC. Some of his bits like saying the Grammys were the "biggest outdoor event this year besides the storming of the Capitol" and that this being the first time "the white stuff going up people's noses here is cotton swabs" were legitimately good.  

The live performances were the big focus of the night: so much so that an hour into the broadcast only one award had been handed out. Since nobody wants to see an awards show done via Zoom, the glut of performances was welcome. But when they did allot time for the actual award-giving, the Grammys made a smart call in allowing independent venue staff to announce the winners: In coordination with the National Independent Venue Association (NIVA), the broadcast highlighted workers from Nashville's The Station Inn, New York City's The Apollo Theater, and Los Angeles' the Troubadour and the Hotel Cafe to announce the winners. 

Each performance felt unique: the cottagecore-themed Taylor Swift medley of folklore singles with Jack Antonoff and Aaron Dessner, Bruno Mars and Anderson .Paak's Silk Sonic cosplaying as the Delfonics, Mickey Guyton's show-stealing rendition of "Black Like Me," Dua Lipa's pop maximalism in "Don't Start Now" and Levitating,"  and Dababy and Roddy Ricch performing "Rockstar'' in front of middle-aged backup singers who seemed to be dressed like Ruth Bader Ginsburg. BTS' elaborate show-closer was impressive for the fact they recreated the Los Angeles venue setup from Seoul. But the two biggest stunners were Megan Thee Stallion's "Savage,” “Body,” and her "W.A.P." collab with Cardi B in a very edited-for-CBS-of-all-networks rendition that's still likely to be Fox and Friends outrage fodder for a week. Lil Baby's performance of "The Bigger Picture" was cinematic and harrowing—powerfully and viscerally highlighting police brutality with an assist from Killer Mike and activist Tamika Mallory. 

There were few surprises for the marquee awards, save for Billie Eilish winning Record of the Year for "everything i wanted" and delivering an Adele-esque apology to Megan Thee Stallion who she thought deserved it. Megan Thee Stallion easily won Best New Artist and H.E.R. got the Song of the Year trophy for "I Can't Breathe."

History was also made a couple of times last night: With Folklore winning Album of the Year, Taylor Swift is the first woman to win the category three times (the only men performers to accomplish the same thing are Frank Sinatra and Stevie Wonder). Beyoncé became the most-awarded woman in Grammy history with four wins, making her total 28, which ties her with producer Quincy Jones as the second-most decorated Grammy winner of all time. That's an astounding feat but her lack of wins in major categories reflects poorly on the Grammys’ voting body: she's won only once (Song Of The Year for "Single Ladies" in 2010). 

But bigger than any of the night's wins, was a palpable sense of loss. The In Memoriam segment expanded well past the norm for the Grammys and Noah told the audience to check the Grammys' website for the full list of the thousands of artists, songwriters, and industry figures who died in 2020. In addition to Lionel Richie-led tributes to Kenny Rogers, a Silk Sonic homage to Little Richard, and Chris Martin and Brittany Howard honoring Gerry Marsden, Brandi Carlile covered John Prine's last recorded song "I Remember Everything." It was a beautiful and tearful moment. 

While the Grammys did mention Pop Smoke, MF Doom, and others during the segment, it didn’t include many other talents that hip-hop lost like King Von, Chynna, Malik B, and Huey in the broadcast. It’s another reminder that the Grammys have a long way to go to be truly inclusive. But despite these missteps, last night’s broadcast was a move in the right direction. If only they can do it again without nominating the likes of Dr. Luke and while listening to concerns Black artists like the Weeknd have about their selection process.