The 2021 Grammy Awards have been mired with controversy since, well, the 2020 Grammy Awards. Almost directly after the 2020 ceremony, the music industry was thrust into an unprecedented level of uncertainty and turmoil courtesy of COVID-19. Then, as the nominees for the forthcoming ceremony were announced, the Recording Academy's reputation for overlooking artists of colour, particularly Black artists, was back in the spotlight as The Weeknd responsible for easily the biggest song and one of the biggest albums of 2020 was completely overlooked. Slowly but surely, artists like Halsey, Drake and more denounced the ceremony as an inaccurate arbiter of musical excellence in 2021. Coming off the back of a year where the world was completely mobilised by the Black Lives Matter movement, the strange snub of Black artists, especially The Weeknd, feels bizarre at best.
So, from the outset, the 2021 ceremony looked to be one of redemption, as the Recording Academy would inevitably try and scramble to right some perceived wrongs. And that's exactly what happened.
First, there's the biggest talking point of the night, and of all nights: Beyonc. In recent years, when Beyonc's name is found in the same sentence as the Grammys, it's in reference to her snubs. She famously lost 'Album Of The Year' with her self-titled album in 2015 to Beck's Morning Phase, only to have the same thing happen again in 2017 with Lemonade, losing to Adele's 25. Beyonc and Lemonade remain as two of the most memorable and acclaimed albums of the past decade, with their impact on pop culture still being felt years later. So both losses seem even more egregious in hindsight. As Adele plainly said after winning for 25: "What the fuck does Beyonc have to do to win 'Album Of The Year?'"
The Grammys' first attempt to redeem themselves in 2021 came with the nominations, where Beyonc led with nine. This is despite the fact that she only released one song in 2020, and had one featured verse on another. Yet, she ended up walking away with four trophies 'Best Music Video', 'Best R&B Performance' for "Black Parade", and 'Best Rap Song' as well as 'Best Rap Performance' for "Savage (Remix)" alongside Megan Thee Stallion. These four wins bring Beyonc's Grammy wins up to 28, making her the most awarded woman and the most awarded singer in the history of the Grammys (she also ties second with Quincy Jones for most Grammy wins ever). If she wins just four more, she will hold the record for that too, which is currently held by late composer Sir Georg Solti.
A huge accomplishment? Absolutely. Even more so when you think about how most of Beyonc's recent work has been explicitly about Blackness a topic the Grammys have been perceived as not wanting to celebrate. Need we remind you that Kendrick Lamar didn't win 'Album Of The Year' for To Pimp A Butterfly? Despite Beyonc having never won for 'Album' or 'Record Of The Year' arguably the two biggest awards of the night she can still count 28 trophies to her name. The Recording Academy haven't given her the top tier prestige she so richly deserves, but the number of smaller awards they've given her have amassed to such an amount that she can still be celebrated. She might not have won for her self-titled album i.e the album that literally broke the internet and is the reason music is released on Fridays but still made Grammys history. So, by the Recording Academy's standards, a major wrong was made right.
Another history maker at the 2021 Grammys is Taylor Swift, who predictably took home 'Album Of The Year' for folklore. The win has meant Swift has become the only woman to have won the award three times, after winning in 2010 for Fearless and 2016 for 1989 where she, of course, beat out To Pimp A Butterfly.
Her win was almost a foregone conclusion. folklore is beloved by fans and critics alike; the only other albums in the category that even got close to that sort of fanfare were Dua Lipa's Future Nostalgia and, at least critically, Haim's Women In Music, Pt. III. So she wasn't exactly up against the stiffest competition, in my opinion.
folklore probably is the best album in this year's 'Album Of The Year' category. It sold incredibly well, marked yet another sharp turn in sonic direction for Taylor Swift and became the first album she had released by surprise an incredibly successful, yet risky, marketing tactic that was, once again, pioneered by Beyonc's self-titled album. Swift was holding every ace album sales, critical acclaim and the chance to make history. This created the perfect environment for the Recording Academy to give her the award, repairing their relationship with Swift for the past 'snubs' of reputation and Lover, which both failed to get nominated for the AOTY award, and, more importantly, her fans.
Of course, not every redemption attempt the Grammys made last night were on the same scale as that of Beyonc or Taylor Swift. It even came down to the smallest of details. H.E.R. won 'Song Of The Year' for "I Can't Breathe", a track that captured the zeitgeist following the murder of George Floyd's but didn't perform nearly as well as pretty much every other song in the category either critically or commercially. Lil Baby, who received two nominations and zero wins, was given license to perform an incredibly provoking rendition of his track "The Bigger Picture" alongside activist Tamika Mallory as well as Killer Mike, who is no stranger to condemning police brutality in the frankest of terms. Dua Lipa, who previously called out the Recording Academy's sexism on stage at the Grammys, was given six nominations and even won for 'Best Pop Vocal Album'.
The Recording Academy is even looking ahead, making sure to invest in stars that actually reflect the culture. Megan Thee Stallion walked away with three of the four awards she was nominated for, a decision that makes sense given her impact on both music and society throughout the year. One of these awards was for 'Best New Artist', where she was up against two more female rappers, Doja Cat and CHIKA the most ever represented in that category.
None of this is to say that any of these wins weren't otherwise warranted. In fact, 2021 stands to be one of the few ceremonies in recent years where everyone seems pretty pleased with who won what, in no small measure due to the diversity sonic and otherwise of the winners themselves. We didn't get a predictable sweep like last year with Billie Eilish or a few years ago with Adele. Instead we got a somewhat accurate reflection of the U.S. music scene as it stands today, or at least accurate by the Recording Academy's standards.
Chair & Interim President of the Recording Academy Harvey Mason Jr. delivered a speech at last night's Grammy Awards that, despite being strangely reminiscent of a political campaign, tried to assure more transparency from the ceremony going forward. In return, he asked for the stakeholders to work with the Recording Academy, and not against them. Whether he's telling the truth, and whether artists like The Weeknd or Halsey will buy it, remains to be seen. But the 2021 ceremony at the very least gave the appearance that the Recording Academy is trying.
Of course, this redemption journey is far from over BTS' loss for "Dynamite" will no doubt see the Recording Academy's social media accounts torched for weeks, especially since it lost to Lady Gaga & Ariana Grande's "Rain On Me" that, while an absolute bop, lacked the cultural impact of "Dynamite".
Considering how plain, predictable and pass I've found the Grammy Awards to be in recent years, 2021's showing suggests we may finally be heading in the right direction.
This is an opinion piece, written by Jackson Langford, music contributor at MTV Australia. Hot takes at @jacksonlangford and hotter pics at @jacksonlangford.
Editor's Note: MTV and Channel 10 are both subsidiaries of ViacomCBS.
Go here to see the original:
OPINION: In 2021, The Grammy Awards Search For Redemption | News - MTV News Australia
- NBC Has a Huge Opportunity with Law & Order: SVU's 25th Season - CBR - Comic Book Resources - November 30th, 2023 [November 30th, 2023]
- Seeding a gay community in LA, the gay liberation revolution - Los Angeles Blade - November 30th, 2023 [November 30th, 2023]
- Britney Spears's 'Baby One More Time' music video debuted on ... - Yahoo Entertainment - November 30th, 2023 [November 30th, 2023]
- 13 Of The Greatest And Most Famous Britpop Bands - Hello Music Theory - November 30th, 2023 [November 30th, 2023]
- The top advertising campaigns of 2023 according to Australian ... - AdNews - November 30th, 2023 [November 30th, 2023]
- The 25 Best New Movies Streaming in November 2023 - TheWrap - November 30th, 2023 [November 30th, 2023]
- Jets' Aaron Rodgers 'attacking' rehab, eyes return this season - WABC-TV - October 3rd, 2023 [October 3rd, 2023]
- ESG counteroffensive is missing big guns - POLITICO - POLITICO - October 3rd, 2023 [October 3rd, 2023]
- The increasingly radical climate movement, explained - Vox.com - October 3rd, 2023 [October 3rd, 2023]
- Imani Winds inspires with recital celebrating composers of color at ... - EarRelevant - October 3rd, 2023 [October 3rd, 2023]
- The Super Models Tells the Story of the Original Fashion Influencers - AnOther Magazine - October 3rd, 2023 [October 3rd, 2023]
- What constitutes a master? Don't ask Jann Wenner The Daily ... - Daily Free Press - October 3rd, 2023 [October 3rd, 2023]
- The Conviviality of Ivan Illich (Part I) | by O.G. Rose | Oct, 2023 ... - Medium - October 3rd, 2023 [October 3rd, 2023]
- SickKids unveils more future-focused VS campaign to match new ... - The Message - October 3rd, 2023 [October 3rd, 2023]
- Top 6 Iconic Classic Rock Bands of the '60s - American Songwriter - October 3rd, 2023 [October 3rd, 2023]
- Brent Harold: The renaissance of union logic - Arizona Daily Star - October 3rd, 2023 [October 3rd, 2023]
- German bishops conclude tense gathering with all eyes on Synod ... - Catholic World Report - October 3rd, 2023 [October 3rd, 2023]
- Slasher Saturdays: The Hills Have Eyes (1977) Vs. The Hills Have ... - Horror Obsessive - October 3rd, 2023 [October 3rd, 2023]
- Listen to Scott Drebit Discuss His New Book A CUT BELOW: A ... - Daily Dead - October 3rd, 2023 [October 3rd, 2023]
- Whitney Houston Hairstyles: Tribute to Her Unparalleled Elegance - PINKVILLA - October 3rd, 2023 [October 3rd, 2023]
- Frosted Lipstick, Chunky Highlights & Thick Eyeliner: Every Beauty ... - New Zealand Herald - October 3rd, 2023 [October 3rd, 2023]
- From Alphas To Betas: Science Says There Are Three Types Of ... - Evie Magazine - October 3rd, 2023 [October 3rd, 2023]
- Russell Brand is a product of the horrifically misogynistic noughties - Prospect Magazine - October 3rd, 2023 [October 3rd, 2023]
- The Enduring Magic of Lorde's Pure Heroine and HAIM's Days Are ... - Paste Magazine - October 3rd, 2023 [October 3rd, 2023]
- Climate activists: How far is too far in raising the climate alarm? - Daily Maverick - October 3rd, 2023 [October 3rd, 2023]
- Pride Anthems at WHBPAC June 2nd at 8PM - Hamptons.com - May 28th, 2023 [May 28th, 2023]
- The illuminating influence of Eric Huntley - Peoples Dispatch - May 28th, 2023 [May 28th, 2023]
- Want Sofia Richie Style? Try These Cheap Nordstrom Finds - Who What Wear - May 28th, 2023 [May 28th, 2023]
- What will Saudi-Iran rapprochement mean for the Palestinians? - +972 Magazine - May 28th, 2023 [May 28th, 2023]
- EU as Arbiter of Ideological Elegance? The European Conservative - The European Conservative - May 28th, 2023 [May 28th, 2023]
- Catholic theology yesterday and today: A Thomist's response to Dr ... - Catholic World Report - May 28th, 2023 [May 28th, 2023]
- Andy Warhol exhibition coming to College of DuPage - Chicago Tribune - May 28th, 2023 [May 28th, 2023]
- COVER STORY | Arlo Parks Embraces the Intimacy of Aliveness - Paste Magazine - May 28th, 2023 [May 28th, 2023]
- The Number Ones: The Black Eyed Peas' Boom Boom Pow - Stereogum - May 28th, 2023 [May 28th, 2023]
- 7 First-time ASTRA Exhibitors You Don't Want to Miss This June - Gifts & Decorative Accessories - May 28th, 2023 [May 28th, 2023]
- Curator Lesley Lokko on the Venice Architecture Biennale: 'It's about ... - Financial Times - May 18th, 2023 [May 18th, 2023]
- German revolution of 1848: A precursor to today's democracy - DW (English) - May 18th, 2023 [May 18th, 2023]
- The Hoxton, Lloyd Amsterdam to open 21st August 2023 - Hospitality Net - May 18th, 2023 [May 18th, 2023]
- Ruin America? Joe Manchin is just getting started. | Will Bunch ... - The Philadelphia Inquirer - May 18th, 2023 [May 18th, 2023]
- How the MTV logo captured the creative spirit of the 1980s - Creative Bloq - May 18th, 2023 [May 18th, 2023]
- I give up I cant do that: The song that made David Crosby want to quit music - Far Out Magazine - May 18th, 2023 [May 18th, 2023]
- How We Loved and Lost the Hot Girl Summer - The Swaddle - May 18th, 2023 [May 18th, 2023]
- 5 Laid Back Essentials From Faherty Prove The Hype - Fatherly - May 18th, 2023 [May 18th, 2023]
- 'How to Blow Up a Pipeline' director Daniel Goldhaber explains the ... - The Real News Network - May 18th, 2023 [May 18th, 2023]
- The Totally Rockin' History of Dr. Teeth and the Electric Mayhem - Collider - May 18th, 2023 [May 18th, 2023]
- Was The Hunger Games Renaissance Planned All Along? - GameRant - May 18th, 2023 [May 18th, 2023]
- Michael J. Fox Looks Back on Hollywood Triumphs, Setbacks and Why Parkinsons Is the Gift That Keeps on Taking - Variety - May 18th, 2023 [May 18th, 2023]
- It's Raining Ramen! A Brief History of Jewish Asian Fusion - Aish - May 18th, 2023 [May 18th, 2023]
- Ted Weber's Wesleyan Political Theology - Juicy Ecumenism - May 18th, 2023 [May 18th, 2023]
- What do the British Royals and Cleopatra have in common? - Firstpost - May 18th, 2023 [May 18th, 2023]
- Pakistan Army won't bounce back easily this time. Imran Khan ... - ThePrint - May 18th, 2023 [May 18th, 2023]
- Five years since #MeToo, Tarana Burke is looking beyond the hashtag - Yahoo News - October 15th, 2022 [October 15th, 2022]
- After Florence Pugh Freed The Nipple, Olivia Wilde Supported The Movement On New Magazine Cover - CinemaBlend - October 15th, 2022 [October 15th, 2022]
- Barbara Kay: The Movement to Normalize Pedophilia Hits a Roadblock, but We Mustn't Let Our Guard Down - The Epoch Times - October 15th, 2022 [October 15th, 2022]
- Is it Time to Decolonize Global Health Data? - Research Blog - Duke University - October 15th, 2022 [October 15th, 2022]
- Claire Foy Doesnt Think Women Talking Could Have Been Made Before #MeToo - Yahoo Entertainment - October 15th, 2022 [October 15th, 2022]
- Can the Congress rewrite its chronicle of a death foretold? - Scroll.in - October 15th, 2022 [October 15th, 2022]
- We need a strong nationalist as a president - Daily Sun - October 15th, 2022 [October 15th, 2022]
- The 19th Century Movement to Canonize Columbus - Catholic Exchange - October 13th, 2022 [October 13th, 2022]
- Audemars Piguet toasts 50 years of Royal Oak with new watches, book - New York Post - October 13th, 2022 [October 13th, 2022]
- Claire Foy Doesn't Think 'Women Talking' Could Have Been Made Before #MeToo - Yahoo! Voices - October 13th, 2022 [October 13th, 2022]
- Best Bets: 6 nights of live music at Wussow's and more - Duluth News Tribune - October 13th, 2022 [October 13th, 2022]
- Five Burning Questions: Bad Bunny Spends a 13th Week at No. 1 With Un Verano Sin Ti - Billboard - October 13th, 2022 [October 13th, 2022]
- San Diego artist uses creativity to uplift Black culture and 'determine how we are seen' - The San Diego Union-Tribune - October 13th, 2022 [October 13th, 2022]
- The Premier League at thirty - what should it sound like next? - Broadcast - October 13th, 2022 [October 13th, 2022]
- Steve Braunias on Peter Ellis case: 'Moral panic, contaminated evidence and an innocent ghost' - New Zealand Herald - October 13th, 2022 [October 13th, 2022]
- Constituency Statutes: The Overlooked Predecessor to the ESG Movement - JD Supra - October 2nd, 2022 [October 2nd, 2022]
- 10 books to add to your reading list in October 2022 - Los Angeles Times - October 2nd, 2022 [October 2nd, 2022]
- The Multiple Religions Coexisting Within the Catholic Church - Crisis Magazine - October 2nd, 2022 [October 2nd, 2022]
- 2023 Oscar Predictions The Rules of the Game - Awards Daily - October 2nd, 2022 [October 2nd, 2022]
- Kathy Sheridan: Brace yourselves for where Giorgia Meloni and Italy end up - The Irish Times - October 2nd, 2022 [October 2nd, 2022]
- The rise and fall of Sir Philip Green, the retail king who fell from grace - Evening Standard - October 2nd, 2022 [October 2nd, 2022]
- The lying flat movement standing in the way of China ... - Brookings - September 29th, 2022 [September 29th, 2022]
- Namwali Serpell Distills the Disorienting Experience of Grief in 'The Furrows' - Shondaland.com - September 29th, 2022 [September 29th, 2022]
- Dance & House Music Ruled the Summer. What Now? - Complex - September 29th, 2022 [September 29th, 2022]
- It is time to back a new party in the elections - Morning Star Online - September 29th, 2022 [September 29th, 2022]
- The empty feminism of Dont Worry Darling - The Guardian - September 27th, 2022 [September 27th, 2022]
- Sunburn The morning read of what's hot in Florida politics 9.26.22 - Florida Politics - September 27th, 2022 [September 27th, 2022]
- GOP candidate Trevor Lee ran a secret Twitter account that attacked LGBTQ people and Utah Gov. Cox. Now he's been rebuked by Republican leadership. -... - September 27th, 2022 [September 27th, 2022]
- Peeling Back the Slasher-Inspired Look of HBO Maxs Pretty Little Liars: Original Sin with Cinematographer Anka Malatynska - Dread Central - September 27th, 2022 [September 27th, 2022]