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Young artists brought dramatic performances, Doja Cat had an emotional moment at the microphone and Volodymyr Zelensky recorded a serious plea from Ukraine.
The 64th annual Grammy Awards promised a return to (relative) normalcy following a scaled-down 2021 ceremony that largely took place outdoors. In Las Vegas for the first time, the show’s most impactful moments were often its least flashy: a sober plea for help from President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine; Doja Cat’s teary moment at the microphone; performances on rooftops that put a spotlight on a different crop of artists.
Two emotionally raw, spot-on performances were Olivia Rodrigo’s “Driver’s License” and Billie Eilish’s “Happier Than Ever”. Rodrigo, 19, and Eilish, 20, should probably get used to this stage; the Grammys are beyond lucky to have them both.
The Oscars had a moment of silence for Ukraine; the Grammys had a videotaped speech from Volodymyr Zelensky, the country’s president, who did not mince his words. “The war. What is more opposite to music? The silence of ruined cities and killed people,” he began. It is impossible to balance the indulgence of an awards show with the horrors of war, but Zelensky was strategic, calling on pop for its ability to transmit information: “Fill the silence with your music. Fill it today to tell our story”. John Legend followed him with a hymnlike new song, “Free,” joined by a poet, Lyuba Yakimchuk, a singer, Mika Newton, and a bandura (zither) player, Siuzanna Iglidan, from Ukraine. It was a heartfelt, dignified gesture.
Doja Cat and SZA’s win for best pop duo/group performance was a welcome jolt of messiness. First, a lone SZA slowly hobbled up to the stage on crutches (“I fell out of bed before I came here,” she later explained) before spotting Doja hustling up to the stage and saying, “Girl, you went to the bathroom for like five minutes, are you serious?” Doja seemed rattled and winded enough that the story checked out, and as she ascended the stage to accept her first Grammy, she told the world, “I have never taken such a fast piss in my whole life”. After recollecting herself and smoothing out her dress, though, Doja Cat suddenly got uncharacteristically emotional. “I like to downplay a lot of sh*t,” she said through tears, “but this is a big deal.” For an artist who often revels in fantasy and irony, it was an endearing, down-to-earth moment.
Jon Batiste (winner of Album of the Year) brought the candy-colored palette and long-limbed, high-stepping moves of his “Freedom” video to the Grammy stage. Justin Bieber performs a sloppy piano rendition of “Peaches”. Lady Gaga’s gloriously theatrical and touching tribute to her duet partner Tony Bennett, vamping her way through jazzy renditions of “Love for Sale” and “Do I Love You,” once again proves she has the range and the talent. 24-year-old songwriter, singer and multi-instrumentalist H.E.R. (Gabriella Sarmiento Wilson) stepped up alongside Lenny Kravitz for his 1993 hit, “Are You Gonna Go My Way,” both singing and strapping on a guitar, presenting herself not as a disciple but an equal.
While not as controversial as the Oscars one week prior, the 2022 Grammys certainly made their mark in history.
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