2020 Grammy Awards break new grounds

The 62nd Grammys Awards was full of great performances and record breakers. The Grammys were on Jan. 26  at the Staples Center in Los Angeles. Alicia Keys hosted the event, the only female star to host the show twice. She opened the show by talking about the tragic death of Kobe Bryant, his daughter Gianna, and the others in a helicopter accident that happened earlier that day. They had a moment of silence for all of those involved. Keys also mentioned that music makes everyone come together and that during times of grief, people need to come together.

The Grammys are always known for having some crazy yet amazing song performances that were very popular throughout the past year. The performers started out with Lizzo, singing two of her biggest hits, “Cuz I Love You” and “Truth Hurts.” Lizzo sang, rapped, danced, and even did a flute solo to start off the night. Nominated for eight Grammys, she won three, best pop solo performance, urban contemporary album, and traditional R&B performance.

Blake Shelton and Gwen Stefani sang “Nobody But You,” a romantic performance by the couple. The Jonas Brothers got back together this past year and have since come out with a new album. They performed a new, not yet released song, called “5 More Minutes” which is about all of their wives. During their performance the brothers acknowledged their wives in the audience. As Kevin walked past his wife, he gave her a quick peck. They also performed a song that they just recently released, called “What a Man Gotta Do.”

Tyler the Creator, Charlie Wilson, and Boys II Men then performed two of Tyler’s songs from the “Igor” album titled “Earfquake” and “New Magic Wand.” This was one of my favorite performances of the night because it was very high energy and very unique compared to all the other performances. Tyler was nominated for three Grammys and won one. His album “Igor” won best rap album.

Usher’s performance was a tribute to the late singer and songwriter, Prince. He performed Prince’s song “Kiss” and I think he did a really great job honoring him. Camilla Cabello’s performance of her song “First Man,” was very touching and tear-jerking because it’s about her falling in love, and remembering how her father was the first man to love her. Her father was at the awards and was crying while his daughter sang. Towards the end of the song she went to him in the audience, and it was easy to see their love for each other.

Tanya Tucker and Brandi Carlile were next to perform. They performed the song “Bring My Flowers Now” off of Tucker’s album titled “While I’m Livin’.” Carlile played piano and harmonized with Tucker in this performance. The song felt very genuine and real because of how the stage was simply decorated. Ariana Grande performed a mashup of songs “Imagine,” “7 Rings,” and “Thank U Next,” all off her album “Thank U Next.” She also performed “My Favorite Things” from the Sound of Music. Her performance was a huge production, including a big orchestra, a bedroom set, and lots of backup dancers.

Billie Eilish and her brother Finneas were next to perform. The sister-brother duo were nominated for six Grammys and won five. They won song of the year, album of the year, record of the year, best new artist, and pop vocal album. At just 18 years old, Eilish is the youngest artist to win the top four Grammy awards. The song they performed was “When the Party's Over”, a song off her album “WHEN WE ALL FALL ASLEEP, WHERE DO WE GO?” I thought their performance was good, you could tell that her song really means a lot to her.

Aerosmith and Run DMC performed the songs “Livin’ On the Edge” and “Walk This Way.” Their performance made everyone feel like it was an Aerosmith concert, they really know how to get the crowd involved. Other performers included  Lil Nas X, Billy Ray Cyrus, BTS, Nas, Diplo, and Mason Ramsey. They all rapped to Lil Nas X’s songs “Old Town Road” and “Rodeo.” This performance was super cool to see with all the different genres of singers coming together to create an amazing set.

Demi Lovato sang her new song titled “Anyone.” She released this single on Feb. 6. At the beginning of her performance, she messes up and restarts, but this small hiccup doesn’t affect her, and she finishes the rest of the song with ease.

After Lovato, there was a tribute to Nipsey Hussle featuring Meek Mill, DJ Khaled, John Legend, Roddy Rich, Kirk Franklin, and YG. The songs that they rapped were “Letter to Nipsey” and “Higher.” I thought this performance was respectful and they all did a great job tributing the late Grammy-winning rapper Nipsey.

Rosalía performed two of her biggest hits “Juro Qué” and “Malamente.” Rosalía was nominated for two Grammy’s and won the best Latin Rock, Urban or Alternative Album. Her performance was really enjoyable to watch, along with her great singing. She is also an amazing dancer. Alicia Keys and Brittany Howard performed the song “Underdog” next. Their performance was empowering and headstrong.

H.E.R. performed her song titled “Sometimes.” Her performance started off with her singing and playing the piano and then ended with an amazing electric guitar solo. Bonnie Raitt sang the song “Angel From Montgomery” from her album “Streetlights,” which was released in 1974. I thought her performance was really good and she still sounds the same 46 years later.

Gary Clark Jr. featuring the Roots performed the song “This Land” off of Clark’s new album “This Land.” This was another performance that was intense and empowering. This song is about racism and how it affects him and his peers.

The last performance of the night included many artists including Camila Cabello, Cyndi Lauper, Ben Platt, Gary Clark Jr., the War and Treaty and more. They performed the song “I Sing the Body Electric.” This was a great way to end the show. It got a lot of different artists to work together to put on a great song.

The year’s Grammys Award show was full of talented and worthy artists. The tributes done to those who passed were touching and meaningful, while the relationships between the artists shined as they interacted with each other and millions of viewers.