Highlights from a Star-Studded 66th Grammy Awards

Award season is fully upon us, and that means it was once again time for the Grammy Awards! On February 4, incredibly talented musical artists from around the globe gathered together at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles, California, to celebrate music and present awards to the best of the best in this past year. It was certainly a night to remember: 2024 marked the 66th installation of the Grammy Awards, courtesy of the Recording Academy and hosted by comedian Trevor Noah. Live performers shined, records were broken, and surprising music icons made appearances, making the 66th Grammy Awards a fantastic night for celebrating music.

One of my personal favorite elements of the Grammys is always the live performances. This year, the Grammys featured global superstars, timeless legends, and rising stars, highlighting how music continues to grow and develop. The night started off strong with Dua Lipa opening the show and debuting her song “Training Season” along with her hit single “Houdini”. Known for her intricate, energetic performing style and catchy pop tunes, Dua Lipa proved once again that she is a true entertainer. Following this fantastic opening, a huge surprise found its way to the Grammys stage in the form of a rare performance from Tracy Chapman. Chapman sang a duet with Luke Combs of her hit song “Fast Car” that Combs released a popular cover of earlier in the year, and everyone was affected by not only the deeply emotional duet, but also the special opportunity to hear Tracy Chapman live. Later on at the Grammys’ House Stage, R&B artist SZA performed her songs “Snooze” and “Kill Bill,” which was actually an award recipient that evening. SZA showcased her talents as an artist through her elaborate nature-inspired set, even premiering her new song “Saturn.” Additionally, rapper Burna Boy made history as the first Afrobeats artist to perform at the Grammys, and his performance with surprise guests Brandy and 21 Savage was electrifying. Unfortunately, the rapper did not win in any of the four categories he was nominated for, much to the disappointment of fans who say he was snubbed. The evening continued with more performances from A-listers such as the nine-time Grammy Award winner Billie Eilish, who sang “What Was I Made For?,” Olivia Rodrigo and her hit song “Vampire” off of her sophomore album GUTS, first-time Grammy award winner Miley Cyrus and her song “Flowers”, and U2 with the first ever televised performance at the Las Vegas Sphere and their song “Atomic City”.

However, there was one event during the live performances that was a questionable decision by the Recording Academy. One of the night’s performers was rapper Travis Scott, who gave his first Grammys show since his infamous Astroworld festival in November of 2021, which tragically involved 10 people being crushed to death and over a hundred others being seriously injured. Scott’s Grammys performance was a visually intriguing rendition of three songs from his 2023 album UTOPIA and was entertaining, but after the conclusion of his set, he threw around chairs and wrecked his onstage set before Recording Academy CEO Harvey Mason Jr. came on stage to pay tribute to the victims of the Hamas attack at the Supernova Music Festival in Israel on October 7, 2023, and the consequent victims of the war between Israel and Palestine that has been going on for five months now. Mason continued his speech backed by a string quartet composed of musicians with both Israeli and Palestinian backgrounds to offer remembrance for victims of other tragedies that have taken place at concerts and music festivals over the years, including the attack at Bataclan Hall in Paris in 2015, the bombing at a Manchester Arena Ariana Grande concert in 2017, and the 2017 shooting at the Route 91 Harvest Music Festival in Las Vegas. This was off-putting for several reasons, the most significant being that Mason mentioned nothing of the Astroworld tragedy despite it being the elephant in the room following Scott’s performance and Astroworld being the fourth-deadliest U.S. music festival of all time.

The talks of the town for the live performances, though, were music legends Joni Mitchell and Billy Joel. At 80 years old, Joni Mitchell took the Grammys stage for the first time ever and performed her song “Both Sides Now”, joined by Brandi Carlile, Jess Wolfe, and Holly Laessig. This will be remembered as a particularly special moment in Grammys’ history because Mitchell, a 10-time Grammy award winner and 18-time nominee, is considered one of the greatest artists of all time and is an inspiration to songwriters and musicians everywhere. As Brandi Carlile, who introduced Mitchell’s performance, put it, “Whether we know it or not, any one of us out here who ever dreamed of becoming a truly self-revealing singer-songwriter did it standing on the shoulders of one, Joni Mitchell.” Joni Mitchell’s deeply emotional performance earned a standing ovation and struck a chord with every Grammys attendee. Additionally, towards the end of the show, Billy Joel graced the Grammys stage once again. Joel debuted a new song called “Turn the Lights Back On”, his first single in 31 years, and closed out the show with his 1980 hit classic, “You May Be Right”. This performance serves as an exciting preview to his upcoming baseball stadium tour that begins February 24 in Tampa, Florida, and will feature Stevie Nicks, Sting, and Rod Stewart as rotating opening acts. His Grammys performance culminated a night of memorable performances and had everyone anticipating the possibility of more new music from the Piano Man.

While music’s biggest night is primarily about celebrating the success and accomplishments of the last year, it is also about honoring those who have passed on. This year, the 2024 Awards honored Sinead O’ Connor, Tina Turner, Tony Bennett, Jimmy Buffett, and more with moving performances from Annie Lennox, Fantasia Barrino, Jon Batiste, and Stevie Wonder. Stevie Wonder started out the tribute with a rendition of “For Once in My Life” in memory of his close personal friend, Tony Bennett, and old footage of Bennett singing “For Once in My Life” played alongside Wonder’s live performance. Next up, accompanied by Wendy Melvoin and Lisa Coleman, Annie Lennox paid tribute to Sinead O’ Connor by performing “Nothing Compares 2 U”. Lennox was visibly emotional during her set, which she concluded by raising her fist in the air and saying “Artists for ceasefire. Peace in the world.” in a way that would have made O’ Connor, an often controversial political and social activist, proud. After Wonder and Lennox performed, Lenny Kravitz took a moment to speak about and honor music executive Clarence Avant before introducing a group of artists Avant worked with that included Ann Nesby, Jimmy Jam, and Terry Lewis and was led by Jon Batiste. Batiste and the group performed a medley of songs such as “Lean on Me” and “Ain’t No Sunshine” by Bill Withers. Finally, Oprah spoke about the queen of rock and roll, Tina Turner, and star of The Color Purple Fantasia Barrino performed Turner’s iconic song “Proud Mary”. Barrino’s high energy performance incorporated Turner’s choreography and had attendees up on their feet, dancing. Overall, the In Memoriam section of the 66th Grammy Awards celebrated the lives and legacies of those music lost in the last year in a way that truly did the late artists justice.

But what are the Grammys if not an awards show? This year saw the addition of three new categories: Best African Music Performance, Best Alternative Jazz Album, and Best Pop Dance Recording, and across all 94 categories, women dominated both nominations and wins. With Victoria Monét securing Best New Artist, Miley Cyrus winning her first and second Grammy Awards, Tyla earning the inaugural Best African Music Performance, and Taylor Swift winning her fourth Album of the Year award (breaking the all-time record for number of wins in that category), the Grammys were a testament to just how incredibly successful women in music have been in the past year. Here is a list of some of the biggest categories, along with their winner and nominees:

Album of the Year

• Taylor Swift – Midnights (Winner)
• boygenius – The Record
• Janelle Monáe – The Age of Pleasure
• Jon Batiste – World Music Radio
• Lana Del Rey – Did You Know That There’s A Tunnel Under Ocean Boulevard
• Miley Cyrus – Endless Summer Vacation
• Olivia Rodrigo – GUTS
• SZA – SOS

Record of the Year

• Miley Cyrus – “Flowers” (Winner)
• Billie Eilish – “What Was I Made For?”
• boygenius – “Not Strong Enough”
• Jon Batiste – “Worship”
• Olivia Rodrigo – “Vampire”
• SZA – “Kill Bill”
• Taylor Swift – “Anti-Hero”
• Victoria Monét – “On My Mama”

Song of the Year

• Billie Eilish – “What Was I Made For?” (Winner)
• Dua Lipa – “Dance the Night”
• Jon Batiste – “Butterfly”
• Lana Del Rey – “A&W”
• Miley Cyrus – “Flowers”
• Olivia Rodrigo – “Vampire”
• SZA – “Kill Bill”
• Taylor Swift – “Anti-Hero”

Best New Artist

• Victoria Monét (Winner)
• Coco Jones
• Fred Again..
• Ice Spice
• Jelly Roll
• Noah Kahan
• The War and Treaty

Best Pop Duo/Group Performance

• SZA feat. Phoebe Bridgers – “Ghost in the Machine” (Winner)
• Labyrinth feat. Billie Eilish – “Never Felt So Alone”
• Lana Del Rey feat. Jon Batiste – “Candy Necklace”
• Miley Cyrus feat. Brandi Carlisle – “Thousand Miles”
• Taylor Swift feat. Ice Spice – “Karma”

Best Pop Vocal Album

• Taylor Swift – Midnights (Winner)
• Kelly Clarkson – Chemistry
• Miley Cyrus – Endless Summer Vacation
• Olivia Rodrigo – GUTS
• Ed Sheeran – – (Subtract)

Best R&B Song

• SZA – “Snooze” (Winner)
• Coco Jones – “ICU”
• Halle – “Angel”
• Robert Glasper feat. SiR & Alex Isley – “Back to Love”
• Victoria Monét – “On My Mama”

Best R&B Album

• Victoria Monét – Jaguar II (Winner)
• Babyface – Girls Night Out
• Coco Jones – What I Didn’t Tell You
• Emily King – Special Occasion
• Summer Weather – Clear 2: Soft Life EP

Best Rap Song

• Killer Mike ft André 3000, Future and Eryn Allen Kane – “Scientists & Engineers” (Winner)
• Doja Cat – “Attention”
• Nicki Minaj & Ice Spice ft Aqua – “Barbie World”
• Lil Uzi Vert – “Just Wanna Rock”
• Drake & 21 Savage – “Rich Flex”

Best Rap Album

• Killer Mike – Michael (Winner)
• Drake & 21 Savage – Her Loss
• Metro Boomin – Heroes & Villains
• Nas – King’s Disease III
• Travis Scott – UTOPIA

Best Rock Song

• boygenius – “Not Strong Enough” (Winner)
• The Rolling Stones – “Angry”
• Olivia Rodrigo – “Ballad of a Homeschooled Girl”
• Queens of the Stone Age – “Emotion Sickness”
• Foo Fighters – “Rescued”

Best Rock Album

• Paramore – This Is Why (Winner)
• Foo Fighters – But Here We Are
• Greta Van Fleet – Starcatcher
• Metallica – 72 Seasons
• Queens of the Stone Age – In Times New Roman…

Best Alternative Performance

• Paramore – “This Is Why” (Winner)
• Alvvays- “Belinda Says”
• Arctic Monkeys – “Body Paint”
• boygenius – “Cool About It”
• Lana Del Rey – “A&W”

Best Alternative Album

• boygenius – The Record (Winner)
• Arctic Monkeys – The Car
• Lana Del Rey – Did You Know That There’s A Tunnel Under Ocean Blvd
• Gorillaz – Cracker Island
• PJ Harvey – I Inside the Old Year Dying

Best Música Urbana Album

• Karol G – Mañana Será Bonito (Winner)
• Rauw Alejandro – Saturno
• Tainey – Data

Best African Music Performance

• Tyla – “Water” (Winner)
• Asake & Olamide – “Amapiano”
• Burna Boy – “City Boys”
• Davido feat. Musa Keys – “Unavailable”
• Arya Starr – “Rush”

Best Country Song

• Chris Stapleton – “White Horse” (Winner)
• Brandy Clark – “Buried”
• Morgan Wallen – “Last Night”
• Tyler Childers – “In Your Love”
• Zach Bryan feat. Kasey Musgraves – “I Remember Everything”

Best Country Album

• Lainey Wilson – Bell Bottom Country (Winner)
• Brothers Osborne – Brothers Osborne
• Kelsea Ballerini – Rolling Up the Welcome Mat
• Tyler Childers – Rustin’ in the Rain
• Zach Bryan – Zach Bryan

Producer of the Year, Non-Classical

• Jack Antonoff (Winner)
• Daniel Nigro
• Dernst “D-Mile” Emile II
• Hit-Boy
• Metro Boomin

Songwriter of the Year, Non-Classical

• Theron Thomas (Winner)
• Edgar Barrera
• Jessie Jo Dillon
• Shane McAnally
• Justin Tranter

Best Music Video

• The Beatles – “I’m Only Sleeping” (Winner)
• Tyler Childers – “In Your Love”
• Billie Eilish – “What Was I Made For?”
• Kendrick Lamar – “Count Me Out”
• Troye Sivan – “Rush”

Best Song Written for Visual Media

• Billie Eilish – “What Was I Made For?” (Winner)
• Dua Lipa – “Dance the Night”
• Nicki Minaj & Ice Spice feat. Aqua – “Barbie World”
• Rihanna – “Lift Me Up”
• Ryan Gosling – “I’m Just Ken”

Best Album Written for Visual Media

• Various Artists – Barbie the Album (Winner)
• Daisy Jones & the Six – Aurora
• Various Artists – Black Panther: Wakanda Forever
• Various Artists – Guardians of the Galaxy, Vol. 3: Awesome Mix, Vol. 3
• “Weird Al” Yankovic – Weird: The Al Yankovic Story

Best Score Soundtrack Album for Visual Media

• Ludwig Göransson – Oppenheimer (Winner)
• John Williams – The Fablemans
• John Williams – Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny
• Ludwig Göransson – Black Panther: Wakanda Forever
• Mark Ronson & Andrew Wyatt – Barbie

Dr. Dre Global Impact Award

• Jay Z

The 66th Grammy Awards were one for the history books. The live performers and In Memoriam section of the night were real highlights, and it was one of the better sets of performances that the Grammys have seen in recent memory. New award categories, numerous first-time winners, returning legends, and a whole host of accolades as a testament to the way women achieved so highly this year made the ceremony extraordinarily special and helped it live up to its reputation as being “music’s biggest night.” Here’s to another great year in music!