Doechii, Billie Eilish and Sabrina Carpenter
The aftermath of L.A.’s wildfires—and the devotion of its people to this city—was the primary focus of the 67th Grammy Awards, and from the opening segment (in which an array of musicians, several of whom had been directly affected by the fires, sang “I Love L.A.”) to the numerous appeals from host Trevor Noah, innumerable acceptance speeches, interstitials and even the ads, the effort to raise funds and awareness—and to express gratitude to first responders—was in full force.
Billie Eilish and FINNEAS performed against a backdrop of the San Gabriels and Eaton Canyon, while Lady Gaga and Bruno Mars sang “California Dreamin’.” The last award of the night, Album of the Year, was—finally!—bestowed upon winner Beyoncé by L.A. Fire Department officials, and Bey was effusive in her praise of firefighters.
L.A. pride was expressed in myriad ways—by BNA winner Chappell Roan, who performed “Pink Pony Club,” the moving queer anthem in which the Missouri transplant discovers her bliss in a West Hollywood nightspot, and by ROTY/SOTY victor Kendrick Lamar, who shouted out the neighborhoods that supported him: "We're gonna dedicate this one to the city. Compton, Watts, Long Beach, Inglewood, Hollywood, the Valley, San Bernardino," he said. "These are my neighborhoods that held me down since a young pup, since I was in the studio, scrapping to write the best raps. Most importantly, to the people and the families out in the Palisades and Altadena. This is the true testament that we can continue to restore the city." (Kendrick’s big night will be followed by the 2/9 Super Bowl Halftime Show, so this is shaping up to be a pretty good February for him.)
A subtext of the evening was the repressive onslaught of the new Trump administration. “Trans people are not invisible. Queer people are not invisible,” declared Gaga upon accepting the Pop/Duo Performance award with Bruno in one of the few explicitly political pronouncements of the evening. Global Impact Award winner Alicia Keys likewise insisted, “DEI is not a threat; it’s a gift,” protesting Trumpist attempts to “shut down the diversity of voices.” Various winners praised the importance of immigrants and their centrality to the American dream.
Roan was political in a different way, demanding that record companies begin to treat their acts like valued employees, notably by providing health care. The sentiment earned a strong response from the artists in the room.
But there was also something of a rebuke to Trumpism, with its racist spew about DEI and its open embrace of white supremacy, in that the night was in so many ways a celebration of Black excellence. Not only big winners Bey and Kendrick (who noted of hip-hop, “We are the culture”) but also Rap Album winner Doechii; the hip-hop breakout acknowledged that she was just the third woman ever to take the trophy, and her emotional speech was in part about rising above systemic racism. Her performance was a showstopper—the “oh... my... God” responses from the stars in the crowd were evident to even the most remedial lip-reader.
Chappell Roan, Beyoncé
Beyoncé’s AOTY acceptance speech was also largely about empowerment. “I want to dedicate this to Miss Martell,” she said—referencing Black country pioneer Linda Martell, who appears on COWBOY CARTER—“and I hope that we just keep pushing forward, opening doors.”
It’s worth noting that virtually all of the BNA performances were superb, including Sabrina Carpenter’s expertly calibrated extravaganza (in which her considerable glamour and pop chops were complemented by her comedic timing), Benson Boone’s playful, dynamic segment, Teddy Swims’ soulful delivery, RAYE’s elegant chanteuse vibe and staggering money notes and Shaboozey’s warmly personable rendition of his dive-bar paean.
Gaga had two huge looks: the video for her new song, “Abracadabra,” which played as a Mastercard ad shortly before going online (nice work, Team Interscope) and her duet with Mars on the thematically apt classic by The Mamas and the Papas.
The Quincy Jones tribute saw Cynthia Erivo’s bewitching “Fly Me to the Moon” with Herbie Hancock, a brassy Lainey Wilson/Jacob Collier collab on “Let the Good Times Roll” and Janelle Monáe's moonwalking into the stratosphere on the percolating MJ classic “Don’t Stop ’Til You Get Enough.”
Shakira’s segment, a medley of "Ojos Así" and "Bzrp Music Sessions, Vol. 53," was a breathtaking display of her charisma and agility (vocal and otherwise). The global superstar's Las Mujeres Ya No LLoran was named Best Latin Pop Album.
Lady Gaga and Bruno Mars, Benson Boone
The widely touted surprise guest turned out to be The Weeknd, who ended his Grammy boycott after an intro by Harvey Mason Jr. The Recording Academy chief presented the star’s return as yet another result of more-responsive Grammy leadership, tied ostensibly to greater transparency and the diversification of Grammy voters. In any case, the intense, moodily lit performance showcased material from The Weeknd’s huge new album, Hurry Up Tomorrow, which is now set up to be even bigger.
Overall, big props are due to Ben Winston, Jesse Collins, Raj Kapoor and their team for keeping the elements in balance and honoring the seriousness of the fires while keeping the proceedings (mostly) very engaging. Preserving the proximity of the stars to each other was also a good idea—those tables keep paying dividends. The biggest question—would giving out awards feel shallow given the context—was definitively answered as the winners’ emotional responses emphasized overcoming obstacles, self-acceptance and lifting one another up.
Charli's dance party
There was an understandable circumspection to much of the show, owing to the recent disaster and its associated fundraising imperative, but triple winner and culture phenomenon Charli xcx brought the proceedings to an interestingly edgy close with her presentation, particularly the sexed-up, after-hours vibe of the onstage dance party—which, in its fearless, heedless debauchery, showed what “brat” really means.
After all, in times of great struggle, in addition to fighting the power, you’ve gotta fight for your right to party.
