The disaster that is the Grammys

The disaster that is the Grammys

Skylar Beckford, Reporter

The 63rd annual Grammy Awards were held on Sunday night, and there’s a lot to unpack.

Let’s start off by discussing the highlights of the event. Artist Megan Thee Stallion brought home a total of three awards, one being Best New Artist. Harry Styles also shook the music world when he won his very first Grammy for his smash hit “Watermelon Sugar.” There were also some show-stopping performances from artists Megan Thee Stallion, Cardi B., and Doja Cat. With the highlights now aside, it’s time to discuss why the Grammy’s was an absolute disappointment.

Many people were upset and flustered when a Grammy announcer was caught live making inappropriate and offensive jokes and saw it as unprofessional and unflattering. Another downside to the night was the butchering of many artists’ names who happened to be people of color. As if that wasn’t bad enough, viewers were quick to point out that every person of color performing was set to perform ahead of the actual award ceremony. One of the most notable snubs of the night was directed toward artist The Weeknd. With The Weeknd absolutely dominating the charts with his album in 2020, everyone was confused and disappointed to see that he was not nominated for anything.

Another huge upset came from the BTS fandom, as the group’s song “Dynamite” was nominated for best pop duo/group performance and were also set to perform. However, they lost the award to “Rain On Me” by Lady Gaga and Ariana Grande. Saying that fans were upset is an understatement. Within minutes, fans were trending hashtags about the award show, referring to it as the “Scammys,” and media outlets were eating it up. People were not only outraged at the loss, but they felt that BTS was being taken advantage of. Not only did the Grammy’s tweet about BTS multiple times, but they plastered pictures and videos of the group as the center of their ads. People took this as the Grammy’s using BTS for attention and views, and honestly, I have to agree. In fact, people were so upset, the show had its lowest ratings ever, with only 8.8 million viewers and a rating of 2.1.

So what exactly do we do about situations like this? Because surely, the Grammys are huge, and don’t seem to be going anywhere anytime soon. Well, my biggest piece of advice is to not waste your energy on the Grammys, and instead support your favorite artist(s). At the end of the day, an award does not make an artist any more/less great. Stream and share your favorite music so you are directly supporting the artist.