Trevor Noah at the 2021 Grammys Source: Tribune Content Agency
On Feb. 5, millions of people across the globe tuned in to watch CBS’s 66th annual Grammy Awards show.
Trevor Noah returned for the fourth consecutive year to host, gracing those watching with his witty wisecracks, yet also warmly praising the performances and accomplishments of the many stars at the show that evening.
Here are the most notable moments from the evening:
- Miley Cyrus Wins First Two Grammys
Pop star Miley Cyrus reached a new milestone at this year’s Grammy Awards, winning her first two Grammys for her single “Flowers”; one for Best Pop Solo Performance and another for Record of the Year.
Despite being less than impressed by Cyrus’ failed attempt at a 1970s hairdo for the event, I certainly found her bubbly, carefree performance of “Flowers” to be one to remember. Her bright enthusiasm as well as the iconic mic drop at the end of the song made for a spectacular performance that was certainly on brand for Cyrus.
Rock legend Billy Joel returned to the Grammys stage for the first time since 2002 to debut his newest single, “Turn the Lights Back On,” his first single since 2007.
Joel’s performance was prefaced with a message from Joel himself, in which he stated that songwriting started to make him “suffer,” and he had lost the joy he once had with singing and songwriting, thus making the decision to stop writing for nearly three decades.
Joel decided to finally pursue his love for music again when a younger friend of his, songwriter Freddy Wexler, pleaded with Joel to sing again.
As a result, Joel recorded what would eventually become “Turn the Lights Back On,” noting how he “didn’t hate the sound of [his] voice” like he normally did.
It was extremely moving to see that he still possesses the same passion and fire in his voice that we see in songs like the unforgettable “Piano Man.”
Pop superstar Taylor Swift took the cake for the “Album of the Year” category for her 2022 record “Midnights,” making Swift the first person ever to win the award for that category four different times.
During her acceptance speech, Swift revealed a “secret” that she had been keeping from her fans for two years: that she would be releasing a new album on Apr. 19, titled “The Tortured Poets Department,” to which the crowd erupted in loud applause.
Shortly before the award ceremony, Swift changed her profile photo on Instagram to be black and white, leading fans to believe that she would be announcing “Reputation (Taylor’s Version).” In true Taylor Swift fashion, Swift threw fans for a loop by announcing a completely new album.
Many artists who have had massive impacts on the music industry that passed away in the past year since the last Grammy Awards were honored at this year’s ceremony. Singers Tony Bennett, Sinéad O’Connor, and Clarence Avant were commemorated for their profound influences with performances from Stevie Wonder, Annie Lenox, and Jon Batiste, respectively.
The last tribute performance, which particularly stuck out to me the most, was Fantasia Barrino’s passionately animated commemoration of the legendary “Queen of Rock ‘N Roll” Tina Turner.
Barrino honored Turner by performing one of her greatest hits, “Proud Mary.”
What made this performance so special was the fact that Barrino initially rose to fame after performing Turner’s “Proud Mary” on American Idol in 2004.
Barrino has often cited Turner as one of her biggest musical inspirations, and her raspy singing voice has even been compared to that of Turner’s.
Fantasia Taylor and her performers backstage at the Grammys @TasiasWord on X
Although I can’t recall ever streaming a song from either artist, the performance that Tracy Chapman and Luke Combs put on for this year’s ceremony moved me in such an unexpected way.
“Fast Car” was initially released by Chapman as the lead single for her debut, self-titled album in 1988, and covered by Combs in 2023 as a track on his most recent record, “Gettin’ Old.”
The performance was prefaced with a story from Combs’ childhood, in which he reminisces on his childhood, specifically when his father would often play Chapman’s debut album on the cassette player in his old truck.
Combs goes on to call Chapman an “icon,” and asserts that she is “one of the best songwriters that [he] think[s] we’ll ever be around to see.”
Hearing the sentimental story behind Combs’ love for Chapman and “Fast Car” made the performance all the more emotional.
The two country singers’ voices harmonized angelically together, and goosebumps ran down my arms throughout the entire performance.
An honorable mention from this year’s Grammy Awards is SZA’s performance of “Snooze” and “Kill Bill.” During the transition between the first song to the second, a dancer was seen standing up from a seat in the audience, which is not something I have seen before and left me quite impressed with the singer. It comes as no shock to me that she received nine nominations this year.
Overall, I was pleased with the Grammy performances this year and found those who won awards were generally deserving of them.