The 66th annual Grammy Awards were held at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles last Sunday night, Feb 4. It was a great night for women as Taylor Swift, Miley Cyrus, SZA, Billie Eilish, Lainey Wilson, and Boygenius took the top awards.
There can be no doubt that Taylor Swift is enjoying huge success in a post-pandemic world. Her record-breaking Eras Tour has grossed over $1 billion as it delights fans across the globe. Swift continued making history as she took home Album of the Year for Midnights, making her the first artist to ever score four wins in the category. She gave fans more to celebrate when she announced the upcoming release of her 11th album, The Tortured Poets Department, as she accepted the Best Pop Vocal Award, her 13th Grammy win.
Lana Del Rey’s album, Did You Know That There’s a Tunnel Under Ocean Blvd was nominated for five awards Sunday night, bringing her total career nominations to 11 with zero wins. She reluctantly accompanied her friend, Taylor Swift, to the stage to accept the Album of the Year award. Swift honored Del Rey in her acceptance speech saying, “Lana Del Rey, who is hiding…but I think so many female artists would not be where they are and would not have the inspiration they have if it weren’t for the work she’s done,” Swift said. “I think she’s a legacy artist…a legend in her prime right now…I’m so lucky to be your friend.”
Rock icon, Billy Joel, performed his first song in 17 years, “Turn the Lights Back On,” and closed the show with the familiar hit “You May Be Right.” Joni Mitchell took the stage for her first Grammys performance at age 80 singing “Both Sides Now.” And R&B star Brandy joined Burna Boy to perform “Sittin’ on Top of the World.”
Rap legend Jay-Z accepted the Dr. Dre Global Impact Award with his 12-year-old daughter, Blue Ivy Carter. The rapper took the opportunity to chastise The Recording Academy stating, “We want y’all to get it right. At least get it close to right.” Many black artists have voiced their opinions about the lack of recognition their music receives. In the wake of Jay-Z’s speech, white artists did indeed take the highest awards. However, on the whole, this year’s Grammy Awards winners were diverse with SZA, Victoria Monét, Killer Mike, and Phoebe Bridgers winning big.
