2020 GRAMMY Awards Recap

The highly-anticipated 62nd GRAMMY Awards ceremony that took place on January 26th, was a dismal and bittersweet occasion. Hours before the ceremony was held in Los Angeles at the Staples Center, news broke out that the basketball legend, Kobe Bryant died in a helicopter crash earlier that morning. Bryant and his 13-year old daughter, Gianna, were among the nine victims who succumbed to the fatal crash in Calabasas on that Sunday morning.

Although an unexpected tragedy, the GRAMMYs honored Kobe Bryant by lighting up his infamous L.A. Lakers jerseys in the Staples Center as the host, Alicia Keys, was accompanied by Boyz II Men to sing a tribute ballad for the fallen victims. The GRAMMYs was filled with tributes to lost souls, as stars also took the stage to remember the late artists, Prince and Nipsey Hussle.

Usher, FKA Twigs, and Sheila E. performed some of Prince’s greatest hits, including “When Doves Cry”, “Kiss”, and “Little Red Corvette.” Later on, Nipsey Hussle was honored by rappers such as Meek Mill, Roddy Rich, DJ Khaled, John Legend, YG, and Kirk Franklin. To add to the bittersweet moment, Nipsey Hussle received a posthumous Grammy for Best Rap Performance for his song, “Racks In The Middle”, and his family gave a heartwarming speech in his honor.

Aside from all of the melancholy moments, the 2020 GRAMMYs included a melting pot of performances, varying from every genre. Hot artist of the year, Lizzo, performed her hits, “Cuz I Love You” and “Truth Hurts.” Lil Nas X and Billy Ray Cyrus took us to “Old Town Road” and a plethora of other artists performed some of their best hits of the year. Other performers included Ariana Grande, BTS, H.E.R., Jonas Brothers, Demi Lovato, Tyler the Creator, Young Thug, Blake Shelton & Gwen Stefani, and more.

Now we can’t do a recap of the GRAMMYs without mentioning the “award” part. Many artists went home adding the title “GRAMMY Award winning” to their name. Billie Eilish broke the record of being the youngest artist to win the most Grammys. At just eighteen years old, she took home five awards from the six categories she was nominated for. Following her, Lil Nas X won two Grammys for Best Music Video and Best Pop Duo/Group Performance. Lizzo won three of the eight awards that she was nominated for, including Best Pop Solo Performance, Best Urban Contemporary Album, and Best Traditional R&B Performance. Other winners included 21 Savage & J. Cole, Beyonce, Anderson. Paak, Tyler the Creator, and more. Overall, the GRAMMYs was a wonderful representation of the various artists that showed up and showed out within the past year, and a great foreshadowing of how far the music scene will go this year.