It’s the year 1959, and prodigies we know today are nominated for their first GRAMMY Awards in a strictly black-tie event – Frank Sinatra, Ella Fitzgerald, Peggy Lee – with much less award categories and therefore less winners. The GRAMMY Awards have drastically changed since then, with dozens more awards introduced, expansive music performances and a highly anticipated Red Carpet Pre-Show.
The 67th Annual GRAMMY Awards was widely acclaimed as an energetic and fun watch, contrasting from previous years’ questionable receptions. The general public was pleasantly surprised with the winners during this year’s show, and the biggest hit of the night was undoubtedly Beyoncé’s Cowboy Carter winning the Album of the Year. While being the most GRAMMY-awarded musician of all time, she has never been the recipient of the biggest category of the year while being nominated a number of times.
Alongside AOTY, the rest of the “Big 4” categories are Record of the Year, Song of the Year and Best New Artist. Both ROTY and SOTY were taken home by rapper Kendrick Lamar for “Not Like Us,” his full-throttle and fearless diss-track on fellow rapper Drake. Best New Artist was awarded to Chappell Roan, who’s been working for years but only recently became a trailblazer in the pop music industry for her campy and outspoken style.
Photo Credits: grammy.com
Becton Wildcats had a myriad of opinions on all things Grammys this year, holding the most reservations with Beyoncé taking home Best Country Album for Cowboy Carter. Many feel as though the album should not be labeled “country” at all. Senior Rose Padovano strongly states, “She is NOT a country singer and 99% of the people in the category deserved it more.” One student boldly put it – “Nope, nope, nope!” In regards to the AOTY win, people feel as though she deserved to win in the category but not necessarily for this album. “I am happy that she finally won AOTY after so many years, but I am a little shocked that this is the album that won it for her. There were much better options for the category, like HIT ME HARD AND SOFT by Billie Eilish, which was everywhere,” a student explained. Junior Katie De Jesus expressed a neutral standpoint, “In my opinion, the album was good, but overall I feel as though there were other albums that should have won.”
With Kendrick Lamar winning ROTY & SOTY with “Not Like Us,” most Becton fans were all-around happy with the accomplishment. Senior Matias Ochoa, avid fan, interpreted his agreeing opinion, “The movement and story associated with the record proved to the world how music can unite different communities together,” he describes, mentioning Lamar’s Pop Out: Ken & Friends concert on Juneteenth in 2024, where a multitude of artists united on stage, “Though these artists were from different backgrounds, communities and generations, they were still able to come together and share the love for music collectively, which Kendrick Lamar was able to inspire and lead with his music.” One student mentioned that the song was the only deserving song in the ROTY category, “The sound and structure of the song were better than all the songs in the category, which is what the category is about.” Although, the same student also expressed that they felt Lamar should not have won for SOTY, thinking it should have gone to Billie Eilish’s “BIRDS OF A FEATHER.”
Chappell Roan taking home Best New Artist was unanimously loved by all Wildcats! “I think that she was a good pick because she worked really hard to get where she is and had one of the biggest festival crowds of all time. The other artists also deserved it, but I think she took that extra step to earn the award,” a student commented. De Jesus added, “Love her, so glad she won after trying to do her big one in the industry for 8 years.” Ochoa admires Roan’s viewpoint on social issues, stating, “I love Chappell’s music and what she stands for in terms of being a role model for the LGBTQIA+ community, so I was super happy when she won the award. Additionally, I also loved her acceptance speech.” Senior Ollie Harrison simply put, “Deserved, she’s the best!”
The musical performances of the night were certainly some of the best that the Grammys have ever seen. Becton loved Doechii, Sabrina Carpenter and Chappell Roan, performing with rich vocals and an unbreakable stage atmosphere that truly left the crowd wanting more. Ochoa found himself loving Doechii’s performance, “In all honesty, I have not heard many of Doechii’s songs, so watching her performance was like a breath of fresh air. I thought the choreography of all the dancers on stage was also spot on, and the visuals were electrifying.” Harrison felt that Roan’s performance was great because “it’s one of her best songs and it was very well done.” Padovano shared that she favored Carpenter’s performance.
Other notable events of the night included the Red Carpet Pre-Show, where celebrities arrived in their full ensembles of the night, sometimes even changing into another great outfit for the rest of the award show! One student mentions Chappell Roan and Charli XCX, “They both wore flowy dresses in nice colors, and Chappell had printed ballerinas on hers.” De Jesus expressed that Carpenter’s was her favorite because “she gave off Marilyn Monroe vibes and I loved the look, especially her hair.” Harrison also mirrored De Jesus’s opinion, stating that Roan’s outfit looked vintage and suited her well. Padovano felt that Carpenter’s outfit was “cutesy” and also liked Taylor Swift’s with her staple “T” jewels!
Despite some differing opinions, the GRAMMY Award Show is still one of the largest award shows to date. Artists dedicate their entire careers to earning a spot in that room!
