On Feb. 2, the 67th edition of the Grammys took place in Los Angeles to award the best recordings, compositions and artists chosen by the members of the Recording Academy.
This year, the Grammys’ ceremony was filled with great performances, emotional speeches and of course – controversy.
From Beyoncé unexpectedly winning her first Album of the Year to Taylor Swift going home empty-handed after being nominated for six categories.
Beyoncé had 11 nominations for her album Cowboy Carter, becoming the most nominated artist in Grammy history and adding to the 99 nominations she’s had throughout her career.
However, there is some debate revolving around Beyoncé winning Album of the Year.
Some argue that it was a dirty move from the Recording Academy due to Jay-Z’s remarks from last year’s ceremony.
He said that it was strange for Beyoncé to have won every category except for Album of the Year.
Beyoncé winning after Jay-Z made note of that, was no coincidence. The Recording Academy might as well have given her the award out of pity.
Even though I listened to the album and liked it, I think Beyoncé should stay with her pop and Crazy in Love genre.
Isabella Mármol, a second-year student at STU, shared her thoughts on this year’s Grammys.
“I heard the album and I think it’s not her best work, but again, I’m not a country fan. I feel there were a lot of great albums that maybe deserved more recognition,” she said.
If you ask me, I wasn’t happy either with Beyoncé winning. Even though the category had strong nominees, Beyoncé being awarded the accolade is the perfect example of how the Recording Academy is broken.
Some of the nominations include Brat by Charli XCX, Hit Me Hard and Soft by Billie Eilish, Short n’ Sweet by Sabrina Carpenter and of course, The Tortured Poets Department (TTPD) by Taylor Swift.
Swift received six nominations for her album TTPD but lost every category leading to discussions and controversy among fans and critics.
TTPD was the best-selling album of 2024 but the album didn’t receive the level of recognition it deserved.
Jack Antonoff, Swift’s co-writer and producer, did not look happy. But in reality, all Swifties know that Aaron Dessner, producer of TTPD The Anthology, should have been at the awards ceremony. Taylor Swift should have known better than to believe that Dessner, not Antonoff, produced her best songs.
Stephanie Gagnon, a third-year student at STU, shared her thoughts on the wasted award.
“I think it was a big deal for Beyoncé because there was a lot of backlash for her creating a country album and people who didn’t believe in her. But I think that there were other albums that might have deserved the title more,” she said.
Taylor Swift wasn’t the only one going home empty-handed.
Fans were also disappointed that Billie Eilish was nominated in seven categories and lost all of them.
“I was expecting Billie Eilish to have won Album of the Year. I feel this album was very personal and heartfelt,” said Marmol.
The situation intensified when Eilish was seen crying during Beyoncé’s acceptance speech for Album of the Year.
Many fans expressed their disappointment on social media, arguing that Eilish deserved recognition for her work.
Some even accused the Grammys of unfairness, using the hashtag ‘Scammys’ to demonstrate their discontent.
I’m not a Billie Eilish fan but her album, as raw as it is, was the soundtrack for many people who were going through a hard time or maybe just living life to the fullest.
Justice was made for most of the categories but Album of the Year was not the cherry on top of this year’s Grammys, as it usually is, instead, it was the milk in your fridge you didn’t know expired until you drank it.
