The Grammys pull low ratings and high quality in 2022
Photo Courtesy of The Guardian
Music’s biggest night was a success for many acts and artists at the 64th annual Grammy Awards this year, hosted by comedian Trevor Noah. Originally scheduled for January 31, the Recording Academy postponed this year’s awards to Sunday, April 3, due to the outbreak of the COVID-19 omicron variant that ravaged the United States in the winter of 2021.
The night featured an ample number of memorable performances, acceptance speeches and tributes, representing a vast multitude of different genres and artists in a night dedicated to celebrating the past year’s best music.
The night opened with an electric performance from 70s-inspired soul band Silk Sonic (made up of Bruno Mars and Anderson .Paak), where they performed the wild and high-energy track “777” from their November 2021 album “An Evening with Silk Sonic.” Memorable performances kept coming at an unrelenting pace for the rest of the night, including an emotional “Driver’s License” performance from Best New Artist nominee Olivia Rodrigo, an espionage-themed performance of “Butter” from worldwide K-pop sensation BTS and a sultry and vigorous mash-up of hits from Lil Nas X and Jack Harlow.
The annual tribute performance made a massive return this year as well, with a performance of “Somewhere” from “West Side Story” by Cynthia Erivo, Leslie Odom Jr., Ben Platt and Rachel Zegler. The tribute, dedicated to those in music who have died in the last year, featured special recognition of recently deceased Foo Fighters drummer Taylor Hawkins and Broadway legend Stephen Sondheim. The night also featured performances from Brothers Osbourne, Carrie Underwood, Justin Bieber, J Balvin and H.E.R., among others.
The night’s biggest winner was soul singer Jon Batiste, who took away five Grammy awards, including the highly coveted Album of the Year award. Silk Sonic came second with four awards, including both Song and Record of the Year for “Leave the Door Open,” and Rodrigo walked away with Best New Artist as well as Best Pop Solo Album and Best Performance for her album “SOUR” and song “Driver’s License,” respectively. Doja Cat perhaps had the most memorable award acceptance of the night, sprinting to the stage after winning the award for Best Pop Duo/Group Performance for “Kiss Me More” while she was using the bathroom. “I have never taken such a fast piss in my whole life,” Doja Cat stated after making it to the stage on time. She was joined on stage by SZA, who took to the stage on crutches after breaking her foot days before. The Recording Academy also made the decision to have the tour managers of certain artists introduce performers for the night, including managers for Billie Eilish and Underwood. Noah emphasized the importance of the behind-the-scenes workers, especially with touring just coming back within the last few months for most major artists.
In a bit of an unexpected turn of events, the president of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, made an appearance, giving an emotional speech about the ongoing war between Russia and Ukraine. Zelenskyy pleaded with the audience and all of America to help Ukraine as much as they could. “Support us in any way you can. Any – but not silence,” he said. The prerecorded message was also accompanied by a performance by John Legend and Ukrainian singer Mika Newton, as well as Ukrainian poet Lyuba Yakimchuk.
Even though the ceremony was one of the most polished that had been seen in years, ratings for the Grammys were still the second lowest of all time and just barely floated over last year’s abysmal numbers. It’s safe to say the demand for the Grammys may not be present anymore, even if the Recording Academy’s efforts are more than they’ve been in the past.
