The 66th Annual Grammy Awards—the Recording Academy’s perplexing annual combination of light comedy, rock doc, corporate bash, and stadium concert—returned this year to Los Angeles’ Crypto.com Arena. At the ceremony, a few facts were made abundantly clear: Taylor Swift is the new record-holder for most Album of the Year wins, clinching her fourth for Midnights, and Mark Ronson’s mother-in-law is Meryl Streep.
As far as Grammys telecasts go, it was actually quite good: Music’s longest night came in under four hours, and a sometimes-interminable show felt snappier thanks to powerhouse performers like SZA and Billy Joel, plus rare appearances by Tracy Chapman and Joni Mitchell. And Mariah! And Celine Dion! And… Oprah!
The music industry isn’t all sunshine right now—host Trevor Noah cracked a joke about UMG’s TikTok beef—but overall the show struck an uplifting note that may conflict with your take on the winners of this year’s headlining awards: a well-earned Best New Artist for Victoria Monét, and less exciting picks for Record of the Year (Miley Cyrus’ “Flowers”) and Song of the Year (Billie Eilish’s sleepy Barbie ballad “What Was I Made For?”).
And while some of us are just going to have to watch the premiere of Curb Your Enthusiasm tonight, here are the highs, lows, and the moments that are absolutely none of our business from the pretty, pretty good 2024 Grammys.
Daftar Isi
The Best
Dua Lipa Can Hang
Dua Lipa’s show-opening performance felt like a flash forward to Grammys 2025, barely blinking at this year’s nominated Barbie song “Dance the Night” in order to debut a brand-new single, “Training Season,” alongside “Houdini” in a preview for an anticipated new album. Let’s be real: The backup dancers were carrying the choreo, but Lipa nevertheless has the star power to generate clip-worthy moments dangling from a cube of steel scaffolding and lying at the center of a giant glowing steel jaw. The you-heard-it-here-first needle drop helped set the tone for a telecast that felt a little more newsworthy than usual. –Anna Gaca
Joni Mitchell’s Endless Wisdom
Imagine writing anything as timeless as “Both Sides Now,” which Joni Mitchell did at 21. When the camera pulled back to reveal the 80-year-old folk icon at last night’s stupendously overdue first-time Grammys performance, the rest of the crowd literally faded into the background. Seated in the plush Victorian armchair and surrounded by the Brandi Carlile–led group of accompanists who’ve supported her journey back to the stage after a 2015 brain aneurysm, Mitchell’s quiet confidence held the room spellbound as she added a deliberate personal touch to a climactic line that rings truer than ever: “Joni, you’ve changed/Well, something’s lost, but something’s gained/In living every day.” –Anna Gaca
Tracy Chapman and Luke Combs Bring the House Down Right Away
What a smart move for the Grammys to kick off the first part of the show with a performance so good, so unimpeachable that they can coast on that goodwill for the next seven and a half hours. Tracy Chapman—sounding amazing and looking deathless—showed up on the Grammys stage for the first time in 35 years to sing “Fast Car” (for the first time in 15 years) alongside Luke Combs, whose 2023 cover of the song raised its profile considerably and reached No. 2 on the Billboard charts. Taylor Swift was on her feet within seconds. Chapman had a magnetic stillness on stage, only occasionally exchanging glances as she traded bars with Combs. I’m not saying we should do this, but I wonder how far a “‘Fast Car’” write-in campaign could take this country in November. –Jeremy D. Larson
SZA Goes Full Wuxia
Turns out having wire-fu sword fights and a body count of terrible exes on stage is way more interesting than the American Idol–style power balladry and crowd shots of celebs clapping along that usually fills these award shows. SZA brought the theatrics and action-packed violence to go with “Kill Bill,” her pitch-black smash hit that pays homage to the Tarantino movie. She sang well, I guess, but I was mostly distracted by everything else. Everything else included: The outfit she wore to sing “Snooze” (wide-brim hat, long coat) that made her look like the Undertaker; when Phoebe Bridgers freaked out as one of the dancers hopped on her table to do sword tricks; all the slain men lying on the ground at the end while SZA stood over them, dressed like Lara Croft. No better way to take advantage of leading the pack with nine nominations than to use her performance time to just do some cool shit. –Alphonse Pierre
SZA Running Out on Stage to Accept Her Grammy After Taking a Shot
Who can relate?
Lana Del Rey’s Funeral-Chic Attire
Hey, chilling at the Grammys, fitted like you’re about to go throw a rose on Vito Corleone’s casket, is a flex. –Alphonse Pierre
Jay-Z More Like Jay-Zing
It may take a lifetime achievement-type award to get Jay-Z to show up to the Grammys these days, a show he once boycotted because DMX didn’t get nominated. But, during his acceptance speech for the Dr. Dre Global Impact Award, Jay-Z took the opportunity to throw some chin music at the Recording Academy. “Some of you will feel like you were robbed. Some of you will get robbed. Some of you don’t belong in the category,” he said, also alluding to the fact that Beyoncé holds the record for most Grammy wins without a single one for Album of the Year. “Even by your own metrics it doesn’t work,” he added. Later in the show, Taylor Swift won her fourth Album of the Year statue for Midnights, setting a new record just above Stevie Wonder, Frank Sinatra, and Paul Simon. –Jeremy D. Larson
Annie Lennox Remembers Sinéad O’Connor
With a single glittery black tear streaked down her cheek, Annie Lennox honored the late Sinéad O’Connor by singing the song that became her breakthrough hit, Prince’s “Nothing Compares 2 U,” during the evening’s multi-part in memoriam segment. Though Prince and O’Connor weren’t friendly (as the Irish singer recalled in her memoir), the presence of the Revolution’s Wendy and Lisa as Lennox’s backing band lent its own kind of historical authenticity. Certainly nothing felt as true to O’Connor’s legacy of bold public activism as Lennox’s closing call of “Artists for Ceasefire” in Palestine. –Anna Gaca
The Worst:
We Can’t Stop Never Stopping
It’s lonely out here in “Miley Cyrus’ ‘Flowers’ isn’t a very good song” country, but at least it’s an honest living. With voluminous hair and a sparkly outfit, Cyrus’ performance aimed for the charmingly over-the-top glitz of godmother Dolly Parton, but the vibe was more sweaty Vegas spectacle than ’80s rhinestone kitsch. And—sorry, academy voters—“Flowers” just isn’t all that. What this performance was missing is better material. I’m tired of saying it! –Anna Gaca
Travis Scott Still Can’t Explain What Utopia Is
When Travis Scott talks it kind of just sounds like the teacher-speak in Peanuts. At least that’s what it was like when he attempted to define Utopia before his performance. Blah blah blah, something about his imagination or whatever. When he got the chance to show us it wasn’t any more clear: flames, big speakers, steel chairs. Apparently, Utopia is just a knockoff ECW pay-per-view.
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