The Grammys: Facing Controversy
US singer-songwriter Billie Eilish (L) and Finneas O’Connell pose in the press room with the awards for Album Of The Year, Record Of The Year, Best New Artist, Song Of The Year and Best Pop Vocal Album during the 62nd Annual Grammy Awards on January 26, 2020, in Los Angeles. (Photo by FREDERIC J. BROWN / AFP) (Photo by FREDERIC J. BROWN/AFP via Getty Images)
2020 has taken away many of our favorite award shows, but music’s biggest night, the Grammy’s, is planning on making its comeback with an audience and artists galore. However, this year brings great controversy, as many big names have been left out of the nominations.
With so many music award shows, like the American Music Awards, MTV, and the Brits, it’s hard to decide which one is the most accurate. The Grammy’s once had credibility, but some viewers believe it’s been this recognition is lost.
“I feel as if the Grammys are losing their credibility by not awarding those who deserve the Grammy,” senior May Legere said. “It honestly just seems as if they become less prestigious.”
Legere is knowledgeable on the subject of music, so I wanted to know her hot takes on which artists were snubbed the most. Her immediate response, “The Weeknd, no doubt.”
With radio hits like “Blinding Lights” and “Heartless”, even people not fans of the singer were expecting him [The Weeknd] to sweep the Grammys, but that wasn’t the case.
“I loved some of the songs on After Hours, it was completely different from his last albums,” Legere said. “I was honestly expecting him to be nominated, since the sounds are kind of different.”
Another name mentioned was Harry Styles, the British-born boy-band escaper; his forthcoming album, “Fine Line,” received overwhelmingly positive reviews, but was snubbed for significant categories.
“Fine line is a fantastically, beautiful album,” Legere said. “Sure, he might have written some of it under the influence (of mushrooms), but regardless it is a really amazing album. I’m glad the Academy at least nominated him for three awards, but I wished he had some of the main categories.”
Theories began forming after The Weeknd’s snub, fans online stating that the Academy ignored him because of his upcoming performance at the 55th Super Bowl.
Nonetheless, the three big nominations went to all women; Taylor Swift’s hypnotic Folklore, Beyonce’s mighty Black Parade, and Dua Lipa’s retro Future Nostalgia.
Along with all women leading in the big categories, for the first time, the Academy nominated all women artists for “Best Rock Performance.”
The Grammys will be on January 31st, 2021 on CBS, and will be hosted by The Daily Show’s Trevor Noah! Tune in to see who will win.
