REUTERS/Mario Anzuoni
I knew I must sort these embarrassing phrases tonight. Even earlier than an aged “superfan” was dragged onto the Grammy stage and compelled to say “Ha-Ha-Harry Types” right into a microphone by Trevor Noah. Even earlier than Bonnie Raitt received Track of The Yr for a ballad I’m certain the vast majority of the listening public has by no means heard. So let’s simply get it over with: Beyoncé has as soon as once more misplaced the Grammy for Album of the Yr. This time, to Harry Types’ second-best album!
Hear… I’m not right here to shit on Types (at the least, not an excessive amount of), a person who makes good, typically nice pop music and who impressively rose to prominence by auditioning for a televised expertise present (inarguably the best path to fame). Harry’s Home was a blockbuster file, and the track “Satellite tv for pc” nonetheless causes me to astral-project on an emotional day. He earned himself the Billy Joel therapy along with his historic 15-night run at Madison Sq. Backyard. And as irrelevant as this reality could also be, it was not possible to keep away from this dude in popular culture over the previous 12 months (typically due to his music, and typically due to a lot sillier issues).
Nonetheless, there’s no evaluating Types’ buoyant puppy-love tunes to the world-stopping, time-shifting phenomenon that was and nonetheless is Beyoncé’s Renaissance. Possibly I might be much less embarrassed about Types beating her (no, not likely) if he hadn’t given one of the crucial underwhelming performances of the evening when he struggled to get by way of his hit track “As It Was” prefer it was the nationwide anthem. Or if he wasn’t completely boring and uncharismatic whereas giving speeches. Or if he didn’t say issues like “this doesn’t occur to folks like me” whereas selecting up Album of the Yr, which really occurs to cis white males fairly often!
All of this to say, the Grammys are seemingly nonetheless on their bullshit. They’ve actually made extra egregious selections previously. However Beyoncé’s loss is very irritating this 12 months, as a lot of Sunday evening’s ceremony was devoted to telling viewers that the Recording Academy values Black musicians—together with Beyoncé herself, who received what appeared like 50 performative shoutouts all through the night. Whereas it was beautiful watching her choose up Greatest R&B Track and Greatest Dance/Digital Album, making her essentially the most embellished artist in Grammy historical past, all of it felt suspiciously calculated on the Academy’s half.
Talking of performative shoutouts, the most effective and worst second of the evening was an overwhelmingly star-studded tribute honoring the primary 50 years of hip-hop. Organized by Questlove, the lineup included Black Thought, Methodology Man, Public Enemy, Large Boi, Salt N Pepa, GloRilla, Lil Child, Busta Rhymes, LL Cool J, Queen Latifah, Too Quick, and extra illustrious acts performing a crowded but seamless medley of hits. (Weirdly, there was no Unhealthy Boy illustration.) Moreover, the male-to-female ratio was disappointing to me, given the entire iconic feminine emcees of years previous to select from and what number of ladies are main rap right this moment.
Sadly, as many viewers on Twitter identified, the medley additionally included some rappers who've been accused of abuse, together with Lil Uzi Vert and Nelly. Extra egregiously, although, this second occurred after the Grammys introduced a brand new “International Impression” award named after Dr. Dre, who has a well-documented historical past of home violence in opposition to ladies. It’s embarrassing that the Recording Academy didn’t take into account the message this might ship to survivors and, significantly, ladies in hip-hop. In gentle of the misogyny displayed on-line and throughout the rap neighborhood main as much as Tory Lanez’s conviction, it felt particularly gross. General, the Grammys’ elaborate spotlighting of hip-hop felt like consuming a bunch of empty energy—it’s enjoyable within the second, however leaves you feeling unhappy.
The ceremony’s in memoriam section, however, was a way more highly effective spotlight of the night. Kacey Musgraves carried out a flawless rendition of Loretta Lynn’s “Coal Miner’s Daughter,” whereas Sheryl Crow, Mick Fleetwood, and Bonnie Raitt honored Christine McVie with a reasonably however shaky cowl of “Songbird.” Slotted within the center—however ought to’ve been saved for final—was Migos member Quavo paying tribute to his nephew Takeoff, who was fatally shot final November.
The remainder of this 12 months’s Grammy Awards was a mixture of completely positive (Unhealthy Bunny and Brandi Carlile) to lackluster (Lizzo) performances, awkward video packages, cuts to Taylor Swift’s white-girl dancing, an undesirable James Corden look, and middle-of-the-road victories. We received Madonna build up Sam Smith and Kim Petras’ efficiency of “Unholy” like we had been about to see somebody get penetrated onstage, however it was simply quite a lot of writhing round on a red-lit stage. (Congrats to Kim although!) Stevie Marvel and Smokey Robinson carried out what felt just like the 87th Motown tribute we’ve seen on the Grammys. Mercifully, Jennifer Lopez was not concerned this time—however her husband, Ben Affleck, stole the highlight, wanting so depleted you’d suppose he’d been banned from each Dunkin’ in L.A.
Host Trevor Noah did a good job for an awards present I take into account the least comedian-friendly; musicians will be weirdly stodgy and unfun (lower to each single individual actively avoiding eye contact with him throughout his monologue.) Crowd work is usually a idiot’s errand, and foolish bits, like when Noah shocked Adele together with her crush Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, infrequently land. Nonetheless, the previous Every day Present host managed to get by way of his B-minus jokes at breakneck velocity with a constant set of guffaws. It’s truthful to imagine he’ll be internet hosting this factor for the subsequent 15 years.
Lastly, we should focus on the various, many minutes—possibly a half-hour complete—that had been wasted throughout this ceremony watching “superfans” preach about their favourite nominated artists in essentially the most embarrassing vogue. Video montages are all the time the worst a part of any awards present; there’s no method the attendees really take pleasure in them or listen. However the Grammys, insistent on representing “the folks” lately, made the evening’s honored friends witness a televised model of on-line stan wars at a number of factors all through the evening.
It was cringey till it was humorous, after which it turned cringey once more when the superfans in query had been corralled onto the stage in the course of the presentation of that extremely disappointing Album of the Yr award. Noah’s stilted speech about racial concord and a montage exhibiting a Black baby hugging a white cop was someway much less awkward than this. Go away the stans at residence subsequent time!