Last Sunday, the 68th Annual Grammy Awards aired on CBS Television Network, hosted by the well-known Trevor Noah, marking his sixth and final year hosting. The night began with Noah’s opening monologue, where he made jokes about the fellow nominees of the night while also recognizing the impressive work they put out this year. Following the monologue, Sabrina Carpenter delivered an amazing opening performance, singing songs from her new album “Manchild”, nominated for Best Pop Album and Album of The Year. Following the performance, Doechii and Queen Latifah presented the first award of the night, Best Rap Album, awarded to “GNX” by Kendrick Lamar.
The Grammys had memorable performances throughout the night, from nominated artists to ones who plan on releasing new music this year. All eight nominees for Best New Artists had notable performances, with Olivia Dean and Leon Thomas standing out in my opinion. Tyler the Creator and Clipse, featuring Pharrell Williams also gave energetic performances, singing songs from their nominated albums “Chromakopia” and “Let God Sort Em Out”.
However, the best performance of the night for me came from Grammys legend Ms. Lauryn Hill, who led a tribute to D’Angelo featuring a multitude of black artists, such as Leon Thomas, Jon Batiste, John Legend and many more.
The night’s biggest awards were also just as memorable. Record of the Year went to “Luther” by Kendrick Lamar and SZA, Song of the Year went to “Wildflower” by Billie Eilish and the most desired award of the night, Album Of The Year (AOTY), went to “DeBÍ TiRAR MáS FOToS” by Bad Bunny. Two of these awards made Grammys history, with Kendrick beating out Jay-Z for most grammys won by a rapper, and “DeBÍ TiRAR MáS FOToS” being the first Latin Album to win AOTY.
Additionally, many of the award wins were accompanied by powerful speeches addressing ICE and the Trump administration’s immigration Policies. One of the most significant moments came when Bad Bunny accepted the award for Best Música Urbana Album.
“Before I say thanks to God,” he said, “I’m gonna say: ICE out!” prompting a massive cheer from the crowd. He continued, “We’re not savages, we’re not animals, we’re not aliens. We are humans and we are Americans.”
Bad Bunny’s decision to address ICE on live television was met with an overwhelmingly positive response, as he is widely known in the Latin community for speaking out against the mistreatment of immigrants in the United States. Many attendees also showed their solidarity by wearing “ICE OUT” pins throughout the ceremony.
Another noteworthy speech came from Billie Eilish as she accepted the award for Song of the Year. She stated, “No one is illegal on stolen land,” and encouraged viewers to “keep fighting and speaking up and protesting.”
The 68th Annual Grammys Awards was one for the books, with artists breaking records, iconic performances and timely speeches.