The 63rd Annual Grammy awards of 2021 aired on March 15th and hit a record low. Though the awards tried to capitalise on its variety of commercial acts that it lined up as performers, many had lost all faith in the show. Its run was seen in the middle of many controversies - The Weeknd didn’t receive a single nomination despite ruling 2020 with his chart-topping hit Blinding Lights and his critically acclaimed album After Hours. Travis Scott’s single Highest in the Room was looked over for Record of the Year. Similarly, posthumous albums by artists Juice Wrld, Pop Smoke, and Mac Miller were disregarded for any nominations. The showrunners also encountered allegations of racism as the BTS Army fans denounced the awards for using the group to gain views and snubbing them of their win.
But this is still a relative assumption. There is no way to measure the view of the critics with that of the audience. The EGOT’s have been notorious for snubbing popularity and giving preference to the craft that goes into developing a work of art. While the Oscars continue to uphold such decrees, the Grammys have veered off these rules for the sake of commercialisation.
This year’s Grammy ceremony is an outstanding example of the same. Most major awards were divided among artists that were already in attendance and looked more like a participation award. Everyone went home with a Grammy to show for, except BTS. Now, an argument can be made that the awards did not consider the group to have made a critical darling of a song. Yet, this wasn’t the case with many big-wins of the night. The most revered critical songs and artists were restricted to one award - and a lot of it seemed like fan service.
This was ultimately an immense loss for the Grammys considering the influence the BTS Army holds in pop-culture. They have consistently broken records for their idols, setting themselves apart from traditional European fanbases. So even if the Grammys’ try to pretend that the awards were well deserved, it seems very xenophobic to have nominated a band with such influence, only to award someone who wasn’t even the Critics’ choice of the night.
While Harry Styles, Dua Lipa, and Billie Eilish distributed the night’s biggest awards evenly, it reminds you of a time when the Grammys felt competitive and seemed to have real stakes. This year's Grammy awards were a shadow of its past self and the only tradition it continued to honour was snubbing POC artists by not nominating them or just choosing other white artists over them. The night had Beyoncé as its poster child of representation - who made history as the most awarded woman in Grammys’ history and the most awarded performer with 28 awards tying with 88-year-old producer Quincy Jones. Megan Thee Stallion won 3 awards that night, including the highly competitive “Best New Artist”. Despite having a successful year with her album Hot Pink and its singles Say So and I Like It feat. Gucci Mane - Doja Cat was snubbed of all her nominations. Kaytranada became the first Black artist to win a Grammy for the Best Dance/Electronic Album category. It may seem like a step forward in the right direction until you realise that Black people created the genre.
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Although Taylor Swift’s critically acclaimed album Folklore won the biggest award of the night - the coveted Album of the Year, she was too snubbed of her other nominations. Lady Gaga and Ariana Grande’s collaboration Rain On Me won the award for Best Pop Duo/Group Performance over the critics’ favourite of that category - Swift’s song Exile featuring Bon Iver (Justin Vernon).
As a Taylor Swift fan, there is a sense of pride that the singer-songwriter made history with her third Album of the Year win. But when you look beside her and think about the people she collaborated with, you’d know the plight of these awards. Aaron Dessner, who is a creative genius by all means, only won the award because he was working with Swift. If he had created a masterpiece on his own, or within his band The National, which even Swift claims to be enchanted by, he would stand no chance. If the Grammys had still been as inaccessible and rare as they once used to be, then the award shows would have made sense. But now every other artist with a record label that can campaign for them holds a nomination. Zayn Malik tweeted about this bias saying, “Unless you shake hands and send gifts, there’s no nomination considerations. Next year I’ll send you a basket of confectionery.”
Following his nomination snub, The Weeknd has boycotted his future music from the awards alleging corruption within its nomination process. “Because of the secret committees,” he told the New York Times, “I will no longer allow my label to submit my music to the Grammys”. The golden record player award is no longer for artists that are making good music, it is for those who can sell said music to its committee.
What is the point of a panel and hype if the recording academy continues to give accolades to the same artists as always? Who will speak for the art that the masses have not heard yet? Artists who are already loved and admired by the majority don’t need more accolades. The awards should be an encouragement for anyone who is making exceptional music. The Grammys’ quest for commercialisation has disregarded artists who make music for an actual love of the art, making their dreams impossible to accomplish.
With the Grammys’ pursuit of clout and commercialisation increasing, there is no way to determine whether genuinely deserving artists would ever get the recording academy’s recognition. Even though art is subjective, watching deserving artists and their work being blatantly neglected while songs like Yummy getting nominated for the Grammys - does leave a sour taste in your mouth.
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