No, I think that the Grammy’s in the past few years have been awful. There have been albums that have been considered by many to be clear winners and clearly have been the best projects that year, but have been “snubbed”. For example Travis Scott’s Astroworld losing to Cardi B’s Invasion of Privacy, which was considered by most rap fans to be absolute garbage. Year after year it has seemed that the Grammy’s have continued to make the wrong pick for rap album of the year and has left many rap fans with a bad taste in their mouth.
Short answer, no. Long answer, I believe the Grammy awards have begun to cater to certain groups due to a lack of this in the past. A few examples of this could be as recent as Cardi B's "Invasion of Privacy" beating out Travis Scott's "Astroworld" and Mac Miller's "Swimming". Just due to the humongous popularity of both of the aforementioned albums as well as the very large criticism of this pick it seems as though the Grammy's chose Cardi B as she was a woman of color rather than based upon her music. The opposite of this occurred in 2017 when Adele beat out Beyonce, a woman of color, in Album of The Year, Record of The Year, and Song of The Year. This was also a very controversial pick again due to how massively successful Beyonce's "Lemonade" was. Because of occurrences like this it feels like the Grammy Awards are trying to make up for lack of female and people of color winners. So my message to the Grammy's is this- Give credit where credit is due but don't cater to what society tells you to do.
I think that the Recording Academy is doing poorly on keeping up with the way our music generation is evolving. For a while the Recording Academy's winners and nominees had somewhat of the same similarity's. For example some of the 2020 nominees consist of Lil Nas X, Billie eilish, Rosalia, and Lizzo. All these artist are newcomers and most of them only have like 1 or 2 hits.
my favorite music artist is Tyler the creator. Tyler has made made board om, quackery,tamales i think see you again and Yonkers. his album are ignor , goblin , cherry bomb, flower boy.and yes he has won a grammy for best rap album. yes this matters because he is a great rapper and he deserves this grammy. Also how he is a minority and he won an award that is not really represented at the grammys.
I think that music should be treated as something to enjoy, not something that you have to compete to get the best place, or award in. Do you ever think that the people that have never come out with anything, come out with a song that hits charts in days of just being released? They go viral and then hit the stage with millions of people wanting to watch them perform, they gain millions of fans each day and they become the next big thing. An example is Billie Elish who was fourteen years old when we released one of her biggest hit Ocean Eyes. Now that song didn’t become very popular till she was about fifteen years old. I still think it’s crazy how in the shortest amount of time someone can become something big and great. You also have Justin Bieber who just came out with a whole new album after not releasing anything since 2015. His new album Changes is starting to get on charts, with song Intentions as number one. Someone as big as he would hit charts fast. Though everyone at some point was listing to his music, everyone who has been a big fan since day one was happy as can be knowing he’s out of the hidden world after getting married. This could be a new point in the music world where possible the old songwriters could be coming back with good new hits. We can only hope for the best in the music industry, that we start to understand that music should be something to gather people about, not to try to be the best.
The grammy awards for the most part to my knowledge that I know go the most popular artist as well as the most unique in some cases. The grammy awards are a way to reward artist for their hard work and their uniqueness. Although their is lesser artist who have done more or may be more unique this is more based on popularity that the artist themselves and the songs, now it is more directed towards how many watch or how many fans.
The Grammys gives out awards for, not the best music of the current time, but the most popular. As artists gain popularity, moving steadily up the Billboard Charts, their likeliness to appear at the Grammys becomes more feasible. The Pop Genre dominates both the music industry and the Grammy selection. More lesser-known artists who have put just as much, perhaps even more time and effort into their music aren’t given nearly as much recognition as popular singers like Ariana Grande and Billie Eilish are. The Grammys, proven time and time again, are merely a popularity contest to see which song is “better” than the others in its category.
Music taste is specific to each and every person, so it would make sense that those who determine the people nominated in the Grammys should ultimately compare analytics to see which one is received better rather than the general likability of the song. The Grammys represent the most popular music of the year - songs played over and over again on the radio - not, by any means, the best.
@Skye Solomon Music has evolved over the course of many generations and impacted a countless number of listeners. Thousands wake up and throughout the day are listening to music repeating songs they favor the most. Agreeing with your statement about music taste being "specific to each and every person", an awards ceremony, such as the Grammys are held to "represent the most popular music of the year" and "not, by any means, the best" (Solomon). Billie Eilish, for instance, is played among many teenagers for the reason that there is a connection between the music and what one might be going through. Listeners of Billie Eilish can relate to her music in various ways resulting in winning 5 Grammy awards.
Comment-
In my opinion I think that the Grammy's are a great way to decide who the best artist are. It gives people a chance to vote and pick who they like the best. But there is another side to this because sometimes just because something is popular doesn't mean it's always the best. Also some artists may not get the recognition they deserve just because they aren't as famous as some other artists. Either way I think that it highlights some good artists, songs and actors and gives them a good platform to further their career if ever won a Grammy.
The Grammy's isn't a representation of today's best music, its a popularity contest between different artists and publishers. Artists are happy for one another success and talented work, but in my opinion the Grammy's idolizes certain artists while leaving others in the shadows.
Drake was baffled when receiving an award in the rap category for "Hotline Bling" when its not even a rap song. I watched an interview with Tyler the Creator who also won an award in the rap category and he explained that his music and work was wrongfully represented, and that just because its different and unique coming from a black man, doesn't make it rap. Billie Eilish won a handful of awards, and each time she heard her name called, she became more and more embarrassed and sickened by her own success. Other artists don't receive any recognition despite their incredible talent. And many have stepped up to the stage before and recognized other artists of being more worthy than them, how sad is that? Feeling your success still isn't comparable to the success of other on that platform.
Music is a reflection of ourselves and an form of self expression. Music makes you happy, can make you sad. Make your adrenaline pump, settle your nerves. Used to represent that one moment, or a whole collection of them. Music wasn't made as a competition, so it shouldn't be treated like one.
The Grammy's don't represent the best music today; They represent the most popular.
Like in real life, sometimes the most popular kids, are the worst friends or rudest people. In music, sometimes the best music is the music not listened to by many. The "underdog".
We as humans award each other for being different. People award each other for having green hair, and being openly gay. And there's absolutely nothing wrong with having green hair, or being gay. But I think it's easy to see those things and want to listen to their music, and want to award them just for being different from everyone else.
1
The 62nd Annual Grammy Awards Show reflected the Academy's struggle to present current mainstream music and new artists- still awarding only Pop Stars and not giving other genres or musicians the recognition they arguably deserve.
Grammy Award Winner, for Best Rap Album, Tyler the Creator shares his frustration towards the Academy and how they continue to implore racism by categorizing African-American Artists. In the Grammy Press Room , Tyler the Creator addresses, "On one side, I’m very grateful that what I made could just be acknowledged in a world like this. But also, it sucks that whenever we, and I mean guys that look like me, do anything that’s genre-bending, they always put it in a ‘rap’ or ‘urban’ category". To put such criticization, Tyler brings in this argument to explain how the nominations are reluctant to recognize just as nomination-worthy artists on stage. This argument leaves more questions: Why isn't diversity represented in the Awards, and "why does it continue?". Despite their public claims to continue to push for more diversity, the Grammy Awards barely made much effort despite the Music Industry being currently dominated by Hip-Hop and Rap genres.
This all leads back to profit and the fame the Academy upheld by establishing stars who dominate the charts. It's quite simple, actually, if the Awards nominate the artists who had their music being mainstreamed daily, and yearly, it brings in more viewers, revenue, and the publicity it needs to continue.
I listen mostly to music from as late as the 60’s to the mid 90’s and very little new stuff. I had heard of Tyler, The Creator and watched his performance for the Grammys and enjoyed it. For me it’s not about the genre it’s about the feel of the song and how it flows. Over time music changes and the music of the 80’s is sadly not what people these days want to listen to. I think that musical skill is much more important than popularity though that helps. Lo Fi rap beats and Van Halen are two very different kinds of music and the interest in today's music is going to grow while older stuff will fade but still be around for people to listen to.
The Grammy Awards show some of America's top music artists of the year and awards them based on people's votes. One of my favorite artists is Billie Eilish, she started her music career when she was fourteen and since then has blown up all over social media and into the music industry only at the age of seventeen. In the 2020 Grammy Awards this year she was nominated for six Grammys. Album of the year, song of the year, new artist, record of the year, pop vocal album and, pop solo performance. Out of the six awards she was nominated for she won five of ten. She was the first in 39 years to receive the four main categories of the awards this year and also the youngest. I believe her music is very inspiring and very relatable to young girls who could be struggling with some stuff in life.
Since 1959, the Grammy's has been of the most anticipated nights in music when it airs each year. There are many talented artists who have received this prestigious award, such as Beyonce and Paul McCartney. Though some of these awards have fallen into the hands of musical legends, the majority of the recipients are just cogs in the wheel of monotony that is contemporary pop music. Though there are separate categories for various musical genres, it seems as if the most valued music medium is mainstream pop. The individuals winning these awards in categories like rap and country are even arguing that the music they are being rewarded for is not TRULY the genre it is put under. This article references Drake's statement about Hotline Bling not truly being a rap song. Another example of this would be Lil Nas X's Old Town Road winning a Grammy for best new counrtry song, though it gained it's fame from the top 40 charts. It seems as if music is outside the realm of mainstream electro pop, it will never amount to much prestige. Many artists who don't fit the mold go under the radar and never receive recognition for their contributions to music, regardless of their talent. The Grammy's seem to be catering to pop music and negating to spend attention on various types of music such as alternative, indie, and rap. It seems odd that the Grammy's have become less an evening awarding talent and diversity, and more an evening of praising the mediocre.
@Hailee Moffett I agree with you that sometimes these awards get placed into the wrong hands and gets handed out to people who don't truly deserve it.
The Grammy awards I believe show the world what would be considered today most popular artist . But I would disagree that It would show today's best artist . In my opinion today's popular artist I believe are just a lot of people that got the hype for what they do. I find a lot of the artist's music of today on that appealing and its all based on hows singing it. I also find a lot of the artist to be fake and use a lot of auto tune not being true artist. thats why I believe the Grammy awards show the most popular artist and not necessarily the best of music.
I don't believe the Grammy's are the best in music. However they may be the most popular in music today. Just because something is popular certainly doesn't mean its the best. The Grammy's are based on what a few people like, not what the majority of America likes. I do believe the people that perform at the Grammy's are good but I do not believe they are the best. As other people have said in there responses I believe the Grammy's represent the most popular artists not the best in music.
@TJ Miller I also agree that the Grammys are not the best choices for music. I tend to not like what the "basic" music styles are and so when it comes to the Grammys i dont always agree with what awards are given. The most popular artist or song for the time are the ones given the awards and I dont always agree with that.
@TJ Miller I'd have to agree with your stance on how the Grammy's are only focused on featuring artists that are popular today rather than showcasing the talent of those who actually deserved the recognition for their success in 2019-2020. Of course, I wouldn't say that all the performers introduced as either nominees or performers, were over-rated. For instance, I believe that Lizzo and Billie Eilish were two artists that truly showed what they were capable of by topping charts all year round. I also believe that by inviting artists like Camila Cabello, who's Cuban, and Rosalia, who's Spanish, opens up the public outreach of the recording academy's audience by diversifying and opening up the doors to latin music. However, I will say that I wish that the Grammy's would not just open up to latin music, and take the chance to appreciate other minorities. For example, one of the artists who was snubbed by the Grammy's this year was BTS. Now I know many would argue and say that they were invited to be presenters in the 2019 Grammy's and were invited to be part of Lil Nas X's Allstar performance of "Old Town Road", yet that doesn't justify the failure to recognize the talent and the overwhelming achievement these men have been garnering up since their recognition in 2017. These men have been able open up the path for other groups in the K-Pop industry and have even become representatives of their country. Yet, they don't get recognized.
If I am being honest I have never watched the Grammy's in my life. And I feel like if someones favorite artist is not in the Grammy's then they don't watch it. Also I don't think the Grammy's represents the best music because I don't really know Tyler the creator and Billie Elish so no I don't think they give the best music that year.
I personally think that the Grammy Awards may have some great artists that deserve the awards they win, but I do not think it's the best music. There are many underrated artists that do not even get noticed. I also believe that some of the artists that win the awards they won do not deserve them. For example, I love Billie Eilish and I think she is very talented but she gets too much hype nowadays. Most of her newer songs are nothing like her old ones. She is making her new song revolve around what's trending. I think that the Grammys are a sham, and that most of the songs that are apart of them are not good.
The Grammys provides us with what can be considered some of today's most popular music in their respective genres, implying the message that 'this' is what people like. But if I was asked if I thought the Grammys represent the best in music, I would say no. Just because something is popular doesn't mean it is the best. The awards given at the Grammys are almost if not completely subjective, so I don’t believe that these songs and artists should be the face of music in the future. Jon Caramanica asked “Can the Grammys be trusted?... Have they ever been trustworthy?” This goes to show how the deceitfulness of the media and celebrities can change how one perceives large events (like the Grammys) as a whole. If there is something that truly believes that the Grammys display the best in music today, then they are nothing but mold in the hands of the producers.
The Grammys and other such award companies have some sort of bias based the average age of the people voting. The Grammys are based on a few peoples likes about certain movies and not what the people of America actually want and what the majority likes. I think it's all about pushing the most famous singers and music producers to try and gain more fam and money. The most successful singers are noticeably absent from the Grammys because they know that it isn't about getting an award. The absence from the Grammys is more of a defiance to conforming to societal acceptance by having someone who really doesn't have any business telling you what you're good at, telling you you're good.
I am never one to keep up with many TV shows, but ever since my favorite artists have performed at the Grammys, I have watched them more often. I feel that it matters to both fans and artists if said artists perform or win awards. A lot of fans will only watch a show that has their favorite artist, so it makes sense to put the popular ones on the show. I have always thought that the Grammys were a big thing, but now a lot of artists aren’t going and that has changed my point of view. It makes me wonder if the Grammys will lose their audience. How did the Grammys become so big anyways? Are the nominations fair? I hope they improve and gain back their audience.
@Addison Harrist I agree I believe the Grammy Awards have become less popular over the years and it does seem like it is based towards a certain audience and since then the views of the show have dropped. Also, if an artist you like wins I think it is a really big deal to the fans because they look up to that artist so much.
I haven't watched the Grammy Awards in about 4 years. I didn't really feel the need to since it was mostly a bunch of artists that I didn't listen to, and I didn't really care for the live performances especially because I could always watch them later on YouTube. This year when my dad had me watch the Awards show with him I wasn't really all that interested. There were definitely more artists that I listen to thins years like Billie Eillie, Lizzo, and Ariana Grande. Which made me happy that there wasn't a bunch of people that I didn't listen to winning awards. I do feel like the Grammy's could be more representative of some smaller artists and less popular music groups, like Soca music. Either way, I think that the Grammy's represent mainstream artists that might not be the best but they are popular.
When a song or an album wins “Best Album/Song of the year” it usually doesn’t represent the best song of today and they mix up music with other genres of music for example them mixing up an album that is more pop than rap but the artist got the best rap album of the year.
The 92nd annual Grammy Awards just pasted and all I have to say is that half of the awards and winners reflected the music that I listen to and the other half didn't. For example, Billie Eilish and her brother Finneas won a great amount of Grammys that I felt were well deserved, as they have both changed the course of popular music in less than a years time. Other new artists like Lil Nas X and Lizzo won awards at their first Grammys as well even though I don't really listen to their music. However, I respected their wins because they have grown a very widespread audience in such a short time span. Moving on, I feel like there were people who definitely got snubbed like, Ariana Grande. She put out two separate albums and topped the charts, and still didn't win a single thing, even Billie said that she should have won one of her awards. There were many other musicians who got snubbed as well, but the moral of story is that the Grammys needs to become more inclusive and fair when it comes to some of the people nominated and the people who actually win the awards.
The Grammys is one of the most highly anticipated award shows in America, but does it showcase the best music today? I believe that the Grammys highlight some of the top musicians in our world today but they skip over some of the most important parts of music. I know most people don’t want to sit and watch an award show where all they do is talk about the producers and writers of songs but sometimes that is the most important part. For example Billie Eilish won 5 awards this year and she said it wouldn’t be possible without her brother who helped write and produce everything but his big producer of the year award was presented during the commercial break so no one even recognized all his hard work. Overall I think the Grammys are very fun and exciting to see all the performers and awards but for it to truly be about music all the people who play a big part in the songs should play a big part in the award show.
The Grammys is one of the most highlighted nights for the music industry. Artist across all different genres have a chance to win an award for all their hard work and dedication towards their one true passion, music. As the Grammys is one of the biggest nights for all these artist, that trophy does not represent the high quality music that is produced from other phenomenal artists. Majority of the awards given to these artist are based off their popularity, not the quality of their music. Artist like Lizzo, Billie Eilish, etc. received awards like Album and Song of the year, Best Traditional R&B performance. Their subpar music overshadows the artist that are hands on and pay attention to little detail. Astonishing artist that perfect their craft are the artists that define high quality music.
The Grammy's don't accurately show high quality music. They show the artists who have become social phenomenon and have a large following. Artist like Cardi B and Billie Eilish have mediocre music and overshadow artist who create interesting and meaningful music.
Through out the years the Grammy's it has reflected some amazing artist. Although these artist are amazing, I think this specific Grammy did not represent and give credit to artist the deserve the recondition they deserve.
the Grammy's are a great way to represent the best in music today. I personally watched it myself and was happy for certain artists who received an award, such as Lil Nas X. The Grammy's definitely bring a high respect for those who receive an award, because of the hardships it takes to write a song then have it be a trend.
The Grammys are one of, if not the biggest night in the music industry. Artists from all genres and places gather to watch the biggest names in the industry perform. I, like many others, tuned into the Grammys to enjoy watching Hollywood stars and starlets, their fashion do’s and don'ts, and the general celebrity interaction. As I was watching the awards ceremony I began to feel bored. I was incredibly happy for Billie Eilish for sweeping the Grammys at such a young age but I felt that it made the award show dull. I also recognized that all of the black male, and some female, artists were solely put into the “Rap/Hip-Hop” category. I rewatched the 2018/2019 Grammys and the same thing occurred. While rap and hip-hop is a great genre of music I feel these artists crave to offer more. Tyler the Creator, a recent winner, has strayed away from rap and transitioned into a more pop genre. Yet he won and award for a rap album after staring his album was not rap. The Grammys are a wonderful showcase of the biggest names in music but that’s it. If you don’t have the fame Billie Eilish has or the fan base Cardi B has or the cult following Lizzo has, too bad maybe try and be more famous next year. It seems the Grammys have turned from a music award show to a popularity contest.
1
Although my opinion may be biased, I do not think the Grammy’s show the best in music today. Instead, I think it showed the worst of music for that year. Most of the pop stars or rappers are mumbling and are being auto-tuned, which makes them almost unbearible to listen to. Iron Maiden and Judas Priest made better albums than the nominees, and those guys are in their 60’s and past their musical peak.
The Grammy Awards Ceremony does not reflect on the music that represents music today. Although the Grammy ceremony is a way to honor these artists, the company behind it sees this event as an opportunity to gain money. They can choose pop artists like Lil Nas X and Lizzo who although worked hard for their fame and recognition, creates songs that weren't good but were funny or had a comical purpose. Also, the increase of the use of an app called TikTok, had caused people to create many funny videos in which they would use funny songs to put behind a video. Therefore, instead of listening to these songs because they are genuinely good, they would probably listen to them ironically. And so that doesn't represent the music of this generation but instead it could just be outlining trends.
Throughout the years, it seems that the Grammy's have been awarded and chosen well to amazing artists. However, it seems that if someone has been given a Grammy, they don't seem to get much of a rewards since they've already gotten it once they released the song. While it is a good thing to have a Grammy, it seems that people won't realize a song is good if they have a Grammy, but by just listening to the song themselves to see if they like it.
I do think that the Grammy Awards have changed over the years and could do better in trying to represent and acknowledge a variety of artists despite their background, etc. For example, although Billie Eilish is a very well known and popular singer, it may not have been fair to other popular and accomplished singers this year that she was able to win five Grammys. I also thought it was very surprising as to how many of the popular singers over the past few decade did not attend the award show, like Taylor Swift, Drake, Beyonce, etc.
The Grammy Awards Ceremony is a very big day for numerous idols and I myself, watch the event to see if my favorite idols, such as Lewis Capaldi won an award. However, I do agree that it is not the best representation because majority of the winners don't win because of their music talent, but win due to their popularity. For example, the idol may not be the best singer or rapper, but they could have released a hit song that went viral which caused them to win an award. So that is why I believe, it can be unfair and bias because many talented idols may deserve an award compared to some of the artists that did won an award.
The Grammy's award does represent the best music in the world today because it is based on votes. Then the artist is rewarded on how well their album or song did. Music reflects on many people. Also, many people listen to music for many different reasons.
The Grammys are a huge event that allows artists to be awarded for their accomplishments and could possibly put them on the map as a "legendary" artist. Millions of people, including myself, tune into the awards to see all the nominees, what they're wearing, who's nominated for what, and just to see the general glitz and glamour of Hollywood. However, there is a glaring issue that has been occurring with the Grammys that many stars are starting to call to attention. This year, I decided to watch the Grammys this year because one of my favorite artists, Tyler the Creator, was nominated for an award and was also performing. I was really happy when he won “Best Rap Album” but I was simultaneously confused. I remember him specifically stating publicly that this was not a rap album yet he had won for that category. This brought up an issue to me that I originally hadn't noticed before. The Grammys continually shoehorning black artists into the rap/hip-hop genre when they have clearly strayed away from it shows indifference to black artists and their music. Many artists like Tyler have delved into different genres and yet, their works are still seen as rap/hip-hop only due to the fact that they are black. Hopefully, with the help of stars like P. Diddy calling out the Grammys on their problems along with black artists like Lil Nas X successfully moving into different genres, the Grammys could finally recognize that black artists are spread across many types of music.
@Ella Shynett I agree with you that the people who control the nominations are a bit ignorant and “Igor” is a perfect example of that. Although he is mainly considered to be a rapper, Tyler the Creator’s album does not strike me as a rap album. Also, he was definitely snubbed by not being nominated for album of the year. His album had excellent story telling, catchy hooks, and great performances from himself and his features. I listened to Billie Eilish’s album so I can confidently say that it is definitely not the best album of 2019. It had some cool ideas and some good vocals, but there was really nothing that would convince me it was album of the year quality, so I believe she mainly won off of he rise in popularity.
The Grammys need to be more diverse in many ways. There needs to be more people of different races, genders, economic states and ages voting and nominating artists for Grammys. There have been reports/rumors that the people who ultimately vote and nominate artists for Grammys are mainly white, wealthy men. This is ridiculous. The people who play this role should represent the diversity of the world, or at least United States. This lack of diversity also often contributes to even more, as the nominees and winners are mostly white. If there was a more diverse voting committee, with all different tastes and views on music, you could see, with who they nominate, the true diversity of the music industry in which truly has different, unique, and talented people. All types of artists need to and have the right to be able to win these awards, regardless of racist or any type of discriminatory views.
@Melissa Dudley I think you perfectly articulated your argument for more diversity at the Grammys. Your argument was well thought out.
The Grammy's pick those who trend the most for the longest time. It's not always about how good they are because that's opinionated and they need to not be bias towards picking artists. This is why people who are musically creative but don't trend aren't getting picked for Grammy's. This is why the Grammy's are poisoned with the influence of money, whoever is picked is making the most money. So of course they are going to pick Drake, or Kanye West; It's whoever can make the most noise in social media. The article also says that non-white artists, and female artists aren't picked, which to me is just another reason to not watch the Grammy's.
People have always argued on, whether art can or cannot be judged.
This is due to an artist’s personal tie with their piece. This personal tie could be an experience, such as Billie Eilish's experience with suicidal thoughts, which she mentioned in an interview with Gayle King. Or compare splatters of paint by Jackson Pollock to the Starry Night by Vincent van Gogh. How can a committee or board determine which is “better”? The truth is they can’t. The truth is no one can judge ones expressions of emotion because it is raw, and streams from ones deepest morals.
The article mentioned the absence of artists such as Rihanna and Kendrick Lamar. It also mentioned the list of winners and nominees this year such as Lizzo, and Lil Nas X. These names are familiar to most listeners because they have been on the radio all year long.
Therefore popularity determines the judgement of art to the public eye through awards for music such as the Grammys.
Along with music, the Awards Season for film is almost done and the Golden Globes created some discussion, due to their list of all male director nominees. Despite these nominations I was shocked to see the film Missing Link surpass Disney in Award for Best Animated Motion Picture.
This was surprising because Disney seems to always win, much like the pop-genre dominating the Grammys. Therefore it was inspiring to see this shift of achievement, to the less popular option, but still worthy piece of art.
I haven’t watched the Grammy Awards these last couple of years, mainly because I prefer to spend my Sunday night doing literally anything else than to watch the arrogant attitudes of the Hollywood elite. I can’t stand the winners going up on stage and, instead of talking about their award, lecture us about whatever political agenda they want to preach. The purpose of the Grammys are to honor the best in music, and not serve as a platform for those in Hollywood who feel a duty to educate me on what’s right and wrong.
Even though the Grammys are unbearable to watch, I love to see who wins in each category. Unfortunately, I was hugely disappointed this year by the winners, but I wasn’t too surprised as the Grammys have dropped quite a lot in quality, and they have lost a significant portion of the public’s interest. This ultimately comes down to the fact that the Academy chooses winners that better their image over actual talent.
It seems to me that the winners are those who are most diverse or say the most controversial things, and their music is adequate at best. The Grammys represent those in the musical industry that receive the most hype by the media, and not those who have actual talent. There are hundreds of talented artists in the industry, but if the media doesn’t choose you, you might as well pack up and leave. The Grammys are an illegitimate award show, and no one is being fooled by what they are doing.
@Ryan Boaz I have to tell you, this is the most spot-on comment I have read. I believe many celebrities are missing out on the Grammys because they too have realized that it is just a political stunt. I recommend you watch Ricky Gervais's speech at the Golden Globes. He informs the celebrities that when they give their acceptance speeches, they should not use this as a platform to criticize our president or push climate change or yada yada yada. He tells the audience to just keep it to themselves, because NOBODY CARES. Drake doesn't care about our presidential situation. He's from Canada for Christ's sake! If Drake, one of the most influential musicians in the world today, does not care about these artist's political agenda, than why would I care.
@Ryan Boaz I Agree, They need to make the Grammys about music not about politics and a little bit of music to spice it up.
It's Sunday night. You sit down with your family after a long day, turn on the TV and flip to "The Grammy's." As you watch the show, you realize multiple popular artists, and even some of your favorites don't win any awards or are even attending the event! You're disappointed and as you continue watching regardless, you wonder, "Is this fair?"
The Grammy's have been going on for many years. I think that they are a great way to help artists gain recognition for their talent and hard work. Although, some argue that the Grammy's are not trustworthy and never have been. I don't think that the Grammy's have recently been representing today's artists very well nor are they adapting to the music community today. Additionally, many essential artists did not attend this year's event in a way of "protesting" the Grammy's.
I think the Grammy's today do not represent the most talented artists or even the most "popular," but the event is run to please the majority public. Awards do not consider or represent creativity, hard work, innovation, and musicianship. Although, It's not that I believe those who receive awards do not deserve them, I just think that there could be a better representation of all artists, talents, and popular styles. Music is based on a person's personal preference, mood, and all around character or background. Therefore, the Grammy's alone should not determine the level of talent in an artist.
@Sophia Caparelli I also believe that music is generally subjective and that the hypothetical argument that a person's favorite artist is somehow superior to yours due to the fact that they've won a Grammy is pretty much void. I could think that someone's favorite artist is the worst, but they could possibly think that there isn't a more talented artist out there.
I do also think that the Grammys are generally based on pleasing the general public, and that causes them to overlook some very talented artists that may not be as mainstream. The Grammys should try to consider other aspects of their work such as hard work or creativity rather than trying to appeal to the general public.
The Grammys are a really big deal to a lot of people. Celebrities get nominated to perform. I personally hardly watch the grammys but I know about it and whats goes on through social media. The grammys are a very fun and emotional event for the celebrities. I like seeing everyone on there perform and see who wins! I think music shows a lot about a person, depending on what type of they listen to. I love listening to music personally. I don't think that the grammys can truly show who is a better artist than others by who wins the grammy award. However, people may look at an artist different if they do or do not win an award.
I think the Recording Academy will never completely be able to keep up with the ways that pop is evolving because I think it's just too subjective and broad for them to keep up with everyone’s opinion of the direction that pop is going. If you were to ask multiple people who they think is the future of pop there is a good chance that there will be all sorts of different answers and none of them are wrong because it's not something with a real factual answer. Instead of doing that I think they just go with the most popular answer and sometimes that is not the answer that everyone else is looking for.
The older I get, and the more that I have learned about award shows like the Grammys, the less appealing they become. Nowadays the Grammys can be compared more to a popularity contest rather than an award show because they highlight artists that are already popular in order to increase their fame, whether its through them performing or winning a Grammy. It’s nice for popular mainstream artists, but it leaves out potential recognition for other less known and sometimes better artists. To me the Grammys also just don’t represent the music industry well enough. The music industry has more diversity that isn’t showcased in the Grammys.
Sunday evening I did spend some of my time watching the Grammys. I was impressed by some of the newer artists that are becoming more popular and the unique performances they gave. The Grammys was definitely a big night for a lot of people Billie Eilish goes home with five Grammys, Lizzo wins her first one, but this was also a night of sadness for a lot of people for earlier that day Kobe passed away in a helicopter crash. Though it was night of mourning these new artist that won awards have now gained a lot more respect for who they are as a musician because people will now see that they are very serious about their careers and want to be taken seriously in their profession.
It was also a way for those who have taken a break from the spot light to step back out and re-enter into their life. Such as Demi Lovato who was a performer at the show and it being the first time she has sung in public since her overdose and the song she sang was a new one that had been written four days before her accident. I feel as though the Grammys are a great place for new and old artists to insert themselves in the musical society.
I think that the grammys are a good way to recognize artists who have put a lot of work and effort into their music. I also think that they are a good way to reward artists who have appealed to the people, gotten songs on billboard's top 10, etc. However I believe music is more opinion than anything else. Personally most of the artists I like and listen to such as Morgan Wallen and Riley Green were not even in the conversation for grammy awards. I think the grammys are more so an award for appealing to the masses. I think that winning a Grammy is certainly an amazing accomplishment however I don't think that particularly means you make good music. However like I said above music is mainly opinion so what sounds good to another person might not sound good to another.
I hold many of the same beliefs about these awards as you do. The Grammy's are completely opinioned based. If someone wins a Grammy it doesn't make them the best artist, their music is just what the voters found they liked the best.
Personally, I like the idea of the Grammy Awards. It is a great stage for the public to see some of the biggest faces in the music industry and appreciate their music and hard work. To be elected is a great honor and to win and even greater one. The Grammy's are a little biased and can often be more of a popularity contest, but in the end they promote a good thing and help people around the country see some of the best artists of the year.
Music has always been a large part of my identity and who I am at my core. Whenever I feel any strong emotions that almost feel to heavy to carry around with me in the world, I listen to music and the weight goes away if even just for a short while. I normally only see a few parts of the Grammy’s, never the whole thing. Although a lot of beloved artists perform and are recognized, I have never believed that some of the artists that deserve an award the most are represented. Artists that don’t sing to be famous, or for awards, or because they’re told they have a true gift, are normally the artists that aren’t seen as often. Those artists merely sing because they have an undeniable passion for it, even if they don’t make it to the Grammy’s.
Many artists such as Billie Eilish and Lizzo are in my opinion, very well deserving of a Grammy. But I don’t believe winning a Grammy or any other award is what makes them great or special. In fact, it doesn’t change the talent they possess or how great they are at all. They don’t need medals or awards to be great, they just need to continue being who they are as both an artist and a person. The rest will most certainly follow.
As far as fans and popularity goes, winning a Grammy may slightly effect how an artist is viewed and people may be more willing to listen to their music if they have received such a prestigious award. However, for the most part going to the Grammy’s and winning one is a fraction of who an artist.
@Sadie Dunne I like how you talk about the artists that are unrecognized artists who sing from the heart and their passion and love for the music are those who deserve the awards. It's hard to be discovered. It's simply luck. There are millions of talented and unrecognized artists out there and while getting a grammy is a huge accomplishment it doesn't make the smaller artists any less talented than the big guys.
I believe that any big award show does not accurately depict the music game. The main reason I believe this is because music is universal and many people like different things. Also anything that involves big names, means that there is bias. Most times not everyone gets representation. I believe most of these events are arranged around money and to keep the famous being famous.
@Anthony Garcia I would have to disagree with you when you say the award shows aren't an accurate description of the music world. I understand that people like different styles of music but that's why there are so many different artists in different genres. So that's why at music awards there is so many categories they want to try an account for as much as they can. It's also not all about the famous being famous it's about new and upcoming artists being recognized for their work and effort they have put into their career. Money and fame is a side effect of being a musician and a lot of people who have those use it for the better. These events are a way for the new and the old of the music world to come together as one and support each other just like at a sports game you go to watch and support the players.
The Grammy's , something that is currently all over social media and the news, is a very big deal. If artists win a grammy it could easily make them become more famous and bring in a bigger audience and more money. I have noticed that the artists who won this year have already been popular. I think that the Grammy's should award those who make good music and not artists who are just popular. With that being said I do not think the Grammy's this year represented our best music today.
The Grammy's, something that everyone would love to go to and if given the chance would love to get. When I was younger it was very publicized. Every commercial break had a little ad talking about the upcoming Grammy's, now there isn't as much hype as there was 7 years ago. I have noticed that the artists who win now aren't the people whose songs everyone is obsessed with, it's the songs that have gone viral and are played not for the enjoyment of the listener but almost to mock the song.
@Ellen Phillips The amount of plays a song has shouldn't be the soul reason a particular artist wins a Grammy. There are so many talented musicians out there who get little to no recognition because they aren't well known. The Grammys gives awards to what is widely liked by the general public but that doesn't automatically make it good. The Grammys should be used as an opportunity to expose smaller musicians with talent so people can expand on their music taste.
I have always enjoyed talking to my friends and sometimes even strangers about taste in music. Because I enjoy such a wide variety of music I always have something to share but at the same time I’m always interested in new suggestions!
2
@Lily Elbel
I feel like there is some merit to nominating the most popular songs to Grammy's. While I don't think plays should, in any way, be a primary determining factor, there are a good deal of popular musicians who have been nominated for Grammys, and are well deserving of it. While there are lots of wonderful underground musicians, most of the projects I've heard don't really compare to something like My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy, Damn, or Flower Boy.
At the same time, though, none of those projects were nominated for best album.
It's always been my stance that the Grammys aren't a determination of whether or not music is good because they do often overlook phenomenal works in favor of popular, more "vanilla" music, but I don't believe we should write off all popular music when it comes to awards because some things are really just amazing.
1
@Ellen Phillips I fully agree, the Grammy's are a joke at this point. The only people who watch them are 40 year old soccer moms trying to assimilate into modern culture. It just doesn't work as a legitimate source of awards anymore and it's reputation has been destroyed.
2
I do not feel like the Grammy awards the best artist in music. I feel like the always pick artists that are mainstream and not really musically creative. Don’t get me wrong mainstream artists such as drake, post Malone, and many others still have great songs. I just don’t think that it should always be up to the Grammys to pick the winners. I believe that public opinion should have a say because they probably have a better understanding on what music is good.
@Mark I like this approach, I think a lot of newer artists are starting to come on the scene and I think it would be the best for the artists, the people, and the Grammys if the people were a loud to vote on artists.
I’ve always watched the Grammies when I was younger. A Couple of my favorite artist are Lauv and Troye Sivan which are I think are so underrated. The one thing that still gets me is that how the band Queen made some great music and haven’t won any awards for their outstanding music. I do think that Grammy are somewhat rigged cause of that. But yah I do think that Lizzo and Billie Ellish is great at performing on stage and their presence up on stage. Although they are both young I feel like that they are able to win a Grammy but maybe like to much at a young age. I do think that it doesn’t really matter ti the artist if they don’t win a Grammy or what not. I personally think it might care if the fans favorite artist or songs did get nominated for a Grammy but that’s motivation to make something better next time.
I really have enjoyed of watching the Grammys. I’ve always wanted to go to the Grammies. So maybe sometime in the near future I will attend one!
@Ralph Gabric I would disagree with you about artists not caring about a Grammy. The artists who are in contention for Grammys have dedicated their lives to creating music that will win awards and bring them glory. A Grammy is confirmation they have "made it" in the music industry; Grammys might not be important to the veteran players in the music scene, but to the rising stars, I think they mean everything. For all of their lives, these people have been belittled by 99% of the population and told they'll never make it in the music industry. With a Grammy-winning piece of work, they have proof to show everyone that they were wrong and that they never should have doubted.
Also, I think it takes a very competitive person to reach a level where they're being nominated for a Grammy. There are millions of other artists trying to make a name for themselves out there which makes standing out nearly impossible. Only them most driven, competitive, and motivated people will make it to the Grammys and these are the sort of people who live for awards and recognition. So, I do think Grammys matter to the artists. Maybe not the veterans like Kanye who have won 21 awards, but I think they're a huge deal to the younger artists.
I used to watch the Grammy’s but this year I didn’t. Typically the artists that win the Grammy’s are the most well known and popular. It’s basically based on popularity and not necessarily the quality of their songs and if people actually like the song. I think there are so many more artists that deserve a Grammy but aren’t as popular of an artist as the others which is why they haven’t earned one. To me, a Grammy doesn’t really mean that the people picked that person because I know that some artists songs play on the radio all the time and people genuinely don’t even like the song but it’s getting played which gets them more well known.
@Elle S I think the biggest problem with such a big art like music is that there are so many people that do it, especially with the arrival of the internet. Whether you become popular or not is based on talent but also sheer luck. There is no way that the Grammy's can highlight lesser known artists because of the amount of music that is produced daily. Of course there are probably better artists than the ones at the Grammys. Ones deserve a fair shot but aren't lucky enough to get that chance. Hopefully one day the get the chance to shine with even the smallest amount of fans they have now.
I think the Grammies chooses character and small artists instead of the song and how great the song is. I believe this because billy eyelash is a character to begin with and lil nas, and Lizzo made some pretty good songs but it’s only a couple of songs where other artists made better songs and never got nominated. I think this year they nominated small up coming artists and not big artists that already have Grammies.
When I was younger, I would always watch the Grammy’s with my family until it was too late to keep watching. Nowadays, I never turn on the TV for the awards; I’ve grown to realize that the Grammy’s—and any other awards show—are unfairly biased towards very well known artists: Billie Eilish, Lizzo, and Ed Sheeran are among the usual suspects. Having said that, big artists have talent, but so do smaller artists; I am not a musical genius, and it is obvious that the Grammy’s cannot be trusted.
I never had an interest in award shows like the Grammys. I understand that a lot of people like it for the entertainment and the suspense to see if their favorite artists won any awards. Personally, I feel that it’s just an award. Yes the artist deserved the award that they got and it gives them more recognition but there are tons of artists out there that deserve the recognition as well. I feel that normally, the artists who get nominated are the more well known ones and while people enjoy their music, there are other artists that people enjoy listening to that never get noticed or become as big because they aren’t given the same opportunities. Talent in the music industry is endless and it is impossible to represent every type of music and songwriter out there. The Grammys seem more like a way to publicize the big artists and help them gain more followers.
I enjoy listening to music, it’s a big part of my life but I think that the Grammys are not a good way to represent artists and musicians. It’s just another way for people who are big in that industry to gain more attention and it misses out on the opportunity to introduce up and coming artists and other artists that deserve to be recognized.
1
@Harsimran Lehal Although I do agree With you Harsimran that Artists who aren’t as well known deserve Grammys and the Grammys are a popularity contest and don’t give the same opportunities as the big artists. I don’t fully agree that The Grammys is all for big artists in fact there were actually a few artists whom I can’t name that were nominated and I didn’t even know or weren’t huge but I also think awards shouldn’t be a way to measure an artist and that it’s a way for people to gain more followers and even money.
I usually watch the Grammys every year, however, this year I didn’t. Although I didn’t watch the Grammys, the articles released the next day reviewing the night and winners, were no shocker to me. For artists like Billie Eilish and Lizzo it makes sense that they came home with a Grammy. It’s a reflection of hard work but also how popular a song can get. I think what we have to ask ourselves is does an artist deserve a Grammy for the popularity of the song or if people genuinely like the song? Sure, I like artists like Billie Eilish, but the amount of times I heard the song “bad guy” personally took away from my liking of the song. I think someone should win a Grammy for people genuinely liking a song—no matter how famous the artist is, everyone should be considered.
@Megan Mullins I believe the number of times a song is listened to shows popularity. No one is going to listen to a song if they don't like it. No one is strapping you to a char and blasting 'bad guy' 24/7 until your ears bleed. The reason that you heard it so many times is because a lot of people (not necessarily you) liked it. Yes, hearing a song over and over again will take away your liking for it, but the reason these songs are picked is because people listen to them over and over again and still like them. If people hated it after listening to it a couple of times, these songs would not be as popular. The Grammys exist to show the audience's appreciation for a song, and the only way to do this is to shout out the artists whose songs were played everywhere, even if it made people lose some appreciation for them. The entire reason these artists are famous is because people like their music. No one is going to allow some random pipe organ player from Farson, Wyoming to win a Grammy because they have not heard of them. And the only reason that the pipe organ player is unpopular is because people do not enjoy their music enough to share it with others.
@Megan Mullins I really like the way you wrote this. I agree, I think after awhile from hearing songs over and over again it just gets boring.
I personally do not take the time to watch the Grammy Awards. While I enjoy listening to all different kinds of music and I love to support artists that I enjoy, I do not find interest in a night dedicated to generalizing the music taste throughout the year. I feel as though the Grammy Awards don’t acknowledge artists that are just as loved simply because they just don’t gain enough fame during the past year. Trying to represent all the talent from the music industry is a task so large it’s virtually impossible for anyone to accomplish. Who really has the power to chose who is the best? No one. Each and every musical artist brings a different form of talent to the table. Of course the artists that are nominated and win awards are talented, but they are not the only ones. Similar to other award shows like the Golden Globes and the Oscars, the Grammys are just another attention grabber. True talent cannot be generalized and artists cannot be overlooked due to a lack of fame, and that is exactly what the Grammys do.
I like many artists, I’m always open to give a song a listen, but I feel as if many people think “they should win because the don’t follow the norm” if someone writes weird music then I feel like they have a better chance at winning. It’s like abstract art, you can throw mud at a wall, take a picture, and explain a “true meaning”. Music I know is. More than that, I like Tyler the creators music, but you can’t say that he has some weird, weird music, but people love him. It’s about politics and who is saying what in their music as well. The winners should be who wrote the best songs by the numbers, by the streams and the music people listen to the most.
While the Grammys are considered the most important night for music, I think the songs and artists represented are ones that are generally liked by the public. These artists know how to appeal to the masses, rather than writing creatively and independently. Obviously the Grammys are extremely prestigious, but they lack diversity and variation. In more recent years, adventurous artists like Billie Eilish or Tyler, the Creator have had the opportunity to preform and win, which is important for the very niche music community these two come from. If we continue in this direction, I think the Grammy Awards will become more about the artistry and less about the show.
The Grammy awards do not convey the best in music today like they once did. They have become just a simple award show driven by publicity and greed, therefore causing many great artists to be overshadowed and thrown under the rug in favor of more drama heavy singer/songwriters. The Grammys now only serve to fill the egos of the artist and celebrities that attend rather than placing a spotlight on the years most innovative and inspiring music. One could make the argument that the purpose of an award show is to only give the artist an ego or confidence booster but I say that they once had integrity, award shows used to be an event to watch to stay informed with music today as well as a social aspect for viewers at home. Award shows now seem to exist only to get in the news and be controversial. The Grammys have lost the integrity that they once had.
Overall I didn’t feel like the people that won the award for the Grammys were bad at what they do like they’re lovely people and all but I just felt that there were better people that should’ve won it. Like best album should’ve been dababys “baby on baby” album because he’s a new come up and like he’s really showing that his skill is unique in the way he spits flames. Best song by far should been Roddy Ricch’s song “The Box” like the “e er’s” make the song a master piece and it’s just so catchy in every aspect
i never watched the grammys
I personally didn’t listen to many of the artists nominated. We’re living in a generation where teens aren’t restricted to the dozen or so songs constantly played on the radio. With streaming services like Spotify it’s become much easier for teens to branch out into other genres of music and discover new and less well known artists and songs. One of my favorite artists of this past year was Phoebe Bridgers who creates beautiful indie / folk rock music that speaks to the heart. With new music being discovered every day I feel as if the Grammys and other award shows are becoming more and more insignificant with the music world growing every day. I find we seemingly recognize the same group of artists and songs every year and only cover a small percentage of music listened to today. The music industry has changed a great deal since the first Grammy awards in 1959. With it becoming easier for anyone to create and share their own music, award shows like the Grammys will soon become obsolete.
Personally I don’t care for the Grammys at all. Sure a lot of my favorite artists have been nominated and won many Grammys but now I feel the need to win one is diminished. The statements from Drake and Kanye West have really made me think about how a person is chosen to win. After further research, the winners aren’t chosen by the people but by fellow musicians. This doesn’t accurately represent the publics opinion. Thats why many artists have been opting out of submitting their songs/albums for Grammys, which is fully justified.
I watched about 45 minutes of the Grammys this year. Mostly the pre-show. Majority of the artist that were interviewed, I actually didn’t know. This surprised me because usually all the big stars are interviewed and the “little ones” are just there for the experience. Once awards were being given, those smaller artists seemed to disappear. Billie, Lizzo, and a couple other pop stars stole every category. I do think they deserve it, but I wish some non-pop/smaller artists would be considered. At this point I am extremely tired of hearing Taylor Swift or Beyoncé’s name. They sing the same style of music. I don’t think the Grammys represents the best of the best, I think they represent the best of pop music. I would love to hear them give awards to 80s or 90s artists because of the impact certain songs have had.
I hate award shows. They’re fine, in theory. It’s an opportunity to acknowledge the influential and well made works of artistic expression that have materialized throughout the year, but all I see when I watch them is bull crap. All I see is separate fountains for black and white people. All I see is separate, but equal.
Now, there are obvious exceptions to this standard. Lizzo and Lil Nas X got nominated for everything, but those are rare instances. Black musicians have, for decades, been forcibly confined to categories we should not be confined to. Hotline Bling wasn’t rap. IGOR could’ve been nominated for an array of awards. My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy deserved a best album nomination.
To answer the question of whether or not the Grammy Awards represent the best in music today, I’d say no. No because the Grammys don’t value black voices. No because the Grammys don’t give any focus to the music I listen to. No because the only musicians that win Grammys are musicians for white women- or at least with white female audiences.
Do I think that my tastes in music are automatically what’s right? No.
Do I think Grammy winners are terrible artists? No.
My stance on the Grammys is that they fail to grasp the full scope of music. They tend to have a very one track mind when it comes to genre. Their stance on what constitutes best album remains stationary. They limit and confine themselves which prevents them from experiencing the world of music as a greater experience.
The kind of music I listen to is a beautiful yet nerdy blend of music from video games, remixes of the music from the video games, songs inspired by a video game, nightcore, music with no words, pop, and K-pop music. Overall, song artists that haven’t really bloomed yet. However, the only person I listen regularly to that got nominated is Billie Eilish. I’m proud of her for making this far and she deserved it. Other than that, I don’t really care for the Grammys. Sure, it’s nice to see your favorite artist get a Grammy but then that’s it. The show’s over, you got to wait until next year to care again for 5-10 minutes. I’m not trying to send hate to the Grammys but after 10, let alone 62 of them? You have to get bored at some point.
I don't really cared for the Grammy but I do like some of the artist that were nominated. I still think that it would be cool for the public to nominate artist rather than picking people. Just because I know a lot of people don't necessarily like the same music. I do think the the whole "veterans" is really dumb. I don't like it cause I don't think it's true at all.
I have never really been a fan of award shows because they just always seemed so boring to me. I also feel that when it comes to who gets nominated that it is unfair because sometimes the people who win, a lot of people feel they shouldn’t have or that certain people should have won. For me, the only interesting parts of the shows are when an artist I know performs or when you see the outfits they have on. The Grammys are just pointless and a way to drive an artist’s success further.
To be quite frank, I typically never enjoy most award ceremonies, especially ones broadcasted on TV. Whenever viewing anything on tv, I always have a sense of distrust since at the end of the day, big shows like these really just want to have gained more views from their audience. Due to these intentions, I would never really rely on a show like the Grammys to accurately represent any sort of title like best performance or best album. Regardless of the fact that this show is intended for gaining viewers, I personally do not like how award ceremonies— typically on TV and elsewhere— can very easily feel like a place where worthless praise is just being thrown around for hours. At the end of the day I do not believe that this frivolous praise—which is soon forgotten— to these random celebrities really has any sort of positive impact on anything.
Although I never watch the entire awards show, I like to find out who won the top categories and hear who performed. I don’t think the Grammys are a good representation of what music is today in all genres despite there being what seems like endless categories and nominations. Most of the Grammys awards and nominations go to artists who have been very popular or “mainstream”. This makes sense when the show is broadcasted to an entire nation but it should not be the sole measure of success in ones music career. Artists work very hard & Im sure winning a Grammy is a dream for many but when it comes down to it, what does that really mean? The Grammys don’t have any impact on what I listen to either. Billie Eilish won 4 of the biggest categories this year—which I think is insane given her age and recent exposure— but that doesn’t necessarily make me want to or feel the need to listen to her music. Even if my favorite artists were to win Grammys, I don’t think I would care at all.
I think the Recording Academy definitely has some flaws in its system. Something is wrong when the four major category winners have so little diversity. The music industry spans across so many people and genres. The Grammy Awards are supposed to represent the entire music industry, so shouldn’t the winners be from all over? The Grammys are still very popular, but I think irrelevance is coming for them if they don’t rethink how they choose their winners. Nobody would care about the Grammys if they didn’t agree with their selection process. I think that not submitting an album for Grammy consideration is a solution to the problem. It’s a protest against the discriminatory system. If enough people stop supporting it, then it will be forced to change. The awards probably matter more to the artists than the fans. Some Grammy winners cry when they receive their awards because of how much it means to them. The fans will be happy for the artist, but it doesn’t really affect the fans. Just because my favorite artist doesn’t win a Grammy doesn’t mean I’ll stop listening to them. I have my own taste in music, so some award given by judges I don’t even know the names of doesn’t matter much to me.
I believe the Grammys hasn’t failed but is continuously making bad decisions in the music award industry. Yes the artist the Grammy’s nominate are talented, but the nominees seem to be only the biggest and most popular names at the current time. I’m not arguing that artist like Billie Eilish don’t deserve to be nominated or be given a Grammy but other less famous artist should at least be acknowledged and have a chance at winning such reward. I believe that the Grammys should be more focused on creativity and innovation rather than how many plays a song/album got over the year. I see the appeal to nominate the most popular artists to gain more viewers, but there needs to be a slight shift towards the non-pop and less popular artists/songs. If the Grammys does there will be less controversy and it will only better the music industry.
This years Grammys was definitely one for the history books. I felt that the black artist community was extremely well represented compared to what has been seen in past years. Not only did Alicia Keys host the event, the majority of guest performers were black as well. Lizzo, a pop singer does not fit the typical mold of a "Hollywood woman." She is black and plus-size. However, she was featured in the opening performance and was nominated for 8 Grammy awards. She ended up winning 3.
This year, the LGBTQ+ community was represented strongly by Tyler the Creator, and Billie Eilish. Both fall into the category and won big this year. Tyler won the award for Best Album while Billie largely swept the competition with five awards. At just 18 years old, I expect her to win big for many years to come.
The Grammys are definitely changing for the better. They are becoming more accepting of the music culture we have today. With time, I think the diversity of those nominated and invited will only increase.
While I’ll admit, when I’m bored in class the day after an award show, I tend to scroll through the best dressed list. However, I don’t particularly feel the need to sit down for multiple hours and watch the whole show. Normally, I don’t even understand what half the awards mean or even recognize half the people there. Seconding what Ella had stated, the Grammy awards, or at least the ones that I follow, typically go to the radio station’s top picks. However, the most played songs on the radio are played frequently because they are popular amongst the people. Likewise, all the nominees are popular artists, not just the winners. So, in my opinion, winning a Grammy is a great accomplishment in one’s music career, but it doesn’t alter my taste in music. There are plenty of good artists out there who are never nominated for a Grammy. That is not because their music isn’t popular, it just means that it’s not as popular as others, which does not mean its unsuccessful.
My favorite musical artists have to be Billie Eilish (She won a grammy award this year, yay!), Alec Benjamin, and Mxmtoon. I think the Grammys means a lot to many artists and fans together, because fans can see their favorite artists perform and feel proud, and the artists can connect with their fans and meet other artists.
I would say I like a wide variety of music. I like artists such as Drake, Elton John, and Marshmello, who all create different styles of music. But my favourite songs aren’t by my favorite artists. One of my favorite songs is “ All Time Low” By Jon Bellion, though I do not like his other music. Most of them have Grammys, Drake and Elton John are more well known then John Bellion. This does not matter to me however, because I care about the artist not the award they win. I know, however, they care, because it is a reward for their efforts.
I believe that this year’s Grammy awards were very accurate. My friend loves BTS and Me and many other people like Tyler the Creator. At least for us, the Grammy Awards were perfect. To be Honest I think pop is evolving very well. All of my friends’ and I favorite artists won the Grammy awards.
My opinion on the musical decisions based on race are not positive. I believe that this does affect the winners. Many of my favorite artists are nonwhite so this will affect their chances for nomination.
I think that most fans probably care if their favorite artists win a grammy or not. They want their favorite music to be given the recognition they believe it deserves. Personally I do get frustrated when one artist wins a grammy that one of my favorite artists was also nominated for. It’s just difficult to remember that each person has their own taste. I might not believe that the right person one a certain award, but someone else might think that the person who one was the only one who deserved it. Music taste varies from person to person so I think it’s difficult to tell if the person who won an award was the best candidate.
John Caramanica argues that the Grammys have become increasingly irrelevant and discriminatory because of the Recording Academy’s marginalization of nonwhite artists, female artists, and artists that produce hip-hop and R&B music. He also claims that there are too few breakthrough artists being acknowledged for their pioneering achievements through the reception of Grammy awards—musicians responsible for both the change in and growth of the music industry. While I cannot disagree with the statistics presented, I would argue that this year’s Grammy’s represented many of these traditionally marginalized artists including Billie Eilish, Lizzo, and Lil Nas X. Personally, I am an avid fan of Billie Eilish. Although I originally only listened to music in the folk rock and indie genres, I now have begun to listen to Billie Eilish’s music, which has served as a bridge between my original preferences in music and pop music—another genre that I now follow. By incorporating elements of pop and other genres along with her own original musical ideas, Billie Eilish has created a new type of music. Because the Recording Academy rewarded Billie Eilish for her pioneering achievements this year at the Grammy’s along with other well-deserving artists, I would argue that the Academy was successful this year at recognizing trailblazing artists that will develop the music industry in the years to come.
One of my favorite artists, Tyler the, Creator, actually performed at the Grammys. He has produced some of my favorite songs and albums and I’ve been a fan of his for a while. He is not only a musician but an inspiration and an idol to many fans. At the Grammys this year, Tyler received the Grammy for the Best Rap Album. This is a big accomplishment and I greatly support it because of how big of a fan I am of his and how much he means to me. I think it is an amazing thing that can happen to a musician and I’m very happy for him.
The genre of music that I enjoy listening to is rap. Some of my favorite artists include Roddy Ricch, Juice Wrld, and YNW Melly. Of these artists, my favorite songs are The Box (Roddy Ricch) Bandit (Juice Wrld) and Murder on My Mind (YNW Melly). Roddy Ricch won a Best Rap Performance for his song Racks in The Middle. And got nominated for Rap/Sung Performance, but did not win. Juice Wrld did not win anything because he died in December, and YNW Melly also did not get anything because he is in prison for murder. I think it matters to the fans more than in matters to the artist when winning a Grammy because the artist already is proud of their song, and the fans will think that it is amazing that their favorite artist got an award, and will possibly like them more.
I have never cared much about whether my favorite artist won a Grammy or not. Don’t get me wrong I love watching The Grammys, but the awards primarily focus on the popularity of the artist, and I don’t think there’s necessarily anything wrong with that. Often times artist that win are the ones you hear on the radio the most for that year, which makes sense. But because each person has a different taste in music, lots of people will disagree on who deserves a Grammy more. I feel as though a well-known artist who is listened to a lot deserves a Grammy because they have appealed to a larger audience. But just because an artist doesn’t win a Grammy that doesn’t mean they aren’t talented. In the end a Grammy only decides whether an artist’s music was popular that year, not whether an artist is talented.
@Ella
I love your opinion on this. I agree that in order to win a Grammy, you don't necessarily have to be talented, you have to be popular. However, I do believe that all talented artists are popular because of their talent, and all popular artists are talented. Whether that talent is creativeness by coming up with new trends an audience would like, singing, or instrumental abilities, it will draw an audience.
On who wins a Grammy is an opinion. Not a fact. So even if someone you listen to isn't nominated, someone else more people listen to would be nominated. You may not like the person who is nominated, but thousands of other people do and that it for good reason. Talent. I believe that anyone nominated for a Grammy works hard and is very talented. The prestigious award is deserved.
To be completely honest I feel like we always see the same type of people win awards at these types of things. When these artists are truly only the tip of the iceberg. I really don't understand that if this is an award show we are supposed to what and root for our favorite artists why we can't put it in the hands of the people to vote on who wins. But because it is all based on bigger corporations calling the shot there are a lot of people who are missed. So in other words, no I do not think that the Grammy Awards represent the best music today. Sure there are a lot of categories within the award ceremony, but you see the same people win. And there truly is not enough diversity within it.
I believe it does not because that s the opinion of someone else's thoughts and not my own or anyone's own thought in my opinion I feel like the awards are rigged cause there is no favorite song between everybody. everybody likes their own style of music. Also like for instance I like the new rap and the classics songs like rock and hip-hop songs but to other people they may like country or rap. So there is no best represented song
Most artists who win the Grammys are not necessarily my favorite artists because a lot of the artists that I like are not super well known. Because of this, I wish the Grammys allowed the public to nominate their favorite artists which allows for artists who are not super popular to be recognized. The Grammys are based solely on the popularity of the artist, if they allowed the voting to be open to the public it will then give other artists more of a chance to be recognized for their musical talent rather than their popularity. Obviously artists become popular from their talent but there are always small artists out there with plenty of talent that deserves more publicity, which the Grammys could help accomplish. In result, the Grammys would then be a big deal to win because they would know that the majority of the public voted for them.
1
While I didn’t watch the Grammys this year, I did keep a close eye on it. I personally enjoy watching the award shows, even if I do not enjoy who wins the awards. I find the shows and performances entertaining. However, I do not think that the Grammys are representing the best music of the time. Generally, it’s only the really popular songs and artists already getting recognized winning. Instead of smaller band, even if their songs are the best or most innovative. While I do believe that popular music does deserve recognition, I believe that should look at the best music of the year which might not be music from the biggest artists. Furthermore I think that the Grammys should highlight all genres of music, not mostly pop.
Everytime I watch the grammy I see mostly the same people. I never see small artists who made actual good music that got recognised. I can't tell you how many times I've seen Taylor Swift or Ariana Grande at the Grammys. I also think that Billie Eilish won a lot of awards that could have been given to other artists who became more known this year. I noticed that not a lot of rap artists or R&B artists got noticed. Summer Walker made many hits this year. She dropped an album that got a lot of recognition. There are also plenty of rap songs that shook things up. For example, The Box by Roddy Ricch or Megan Thee Stallion’s Cash Sh*t. Instead the Grammys decided to pick songs by artists who were already well known. In conclusion, the Grammys should pay more attention to artists who are just recently becoming more famous instead of giving the same people many awards.
@Kaitlyn G. I too would like to see the smaller artists represented at the Grammys as well. Some of my favorite songs and artists are overlooked and downright neglected by the spotlight of Hollywood. Although the Grammys are slowly becoming more diverse in race and sexuality, we continue to see the same big names over and over. Like you said, famous artists like Taylor Swift and Ariana Grande have always been at the Grammys, usually taking home multiple awards. Hopefully with new streaming platforms on the rise, we will begin to see the underrepresented group of "no-name" artists.
@Kaitlyn G. I agree with this on another level. Smaller artists who aren't well known but still known enough should be recognized, for example; mxmtoon. Everyone has already seen the popular artists. Now it's starting to get a bit boring because of that.
Personally, I have never cared whether my favorite artists and bands have received Grammys. To be honest, I couldn’t tell you if the artists I love the most even have a Grammy award. Although I love the idea of cozying up on a Sunday night to watch the annual awards show, hearing artists win Grammys has never mattered too much to me. Personally, I think what matters most is the artist is proud of their own work. It matters not if they have 40 monthly listeners or 10,000,000, I think the effort and love poured into their music is what matters most of all. Don’t get me wrong; I think it is a great honor to receive a Grammy, but I feel there are better ways to measure success in music. If the artist feels proud of their work and the progress they have made as a musician, I believe that is the greatest triumph of all... Grammy included or not.
I think the award ceremonies are losing touch with the viewers. I do not take interest in watching these awards because I feel it doesn’t represent the music I like to listen to. Music is always evolving and I think it is difficult to place every artist, album, and song into a specific category and decide which is “best” or the most “popular”, because every person has a different opinion. Personally, if I do watch award shows, it’s to see all the people’s outfits, not the award winners. I think this mentality comes from events, such as the Grammys, not speaking true to all the success going on in these industries. So many incredible artists go unnoticed by these events and seeing many of the same people win everything upsets me. I think artists like Drake or Frank Ocean have very valid arguments for being against the Grammys.
@Cate I have to disagree with you. I feel the Grammy's don't represent what music each individual likes to listen to, but what music has become most popular. I agree with you that it's hard to sort songs and artists into catagories, but statistics don't lie and the Grammy Awards express what has become most popular. There are absolutely problems though, with artists being nominated in genre's they feel don't best represent their music.
Tyler the Creator said about receiving his award, "Half of me feels like the rap nomination was a backhanded compliment...", because he felt like his music was best fit in the pop genre, but was automatically recognised as rap because he's black. Whoever decides what goes in what genre needs to get with the times, because sometimes rap music is pop.
I think that artists like Drake, Frank Ocean and Kanye West are right to be unhappy with the Grammys. The type of music that they make almost never wins the major awards like album, song and record of the year, and best new artist. My favorite type of music is rap, and I think that it is not expressed correctly in the Grammys.
1
@Gabe Axelrod I completely agree with this as I listen to all of their music and it never seems to be recognized by the Grammys that their music is terrific. I think that the Grammys can sometimes make a bad judgment when it comes to picking out who will win the "Greatest Album" title. I think some artists aren't recognized as much as they should be and I think that this is bad because their talent isn't being broadcasted for other people to see.
I don’t really pay attention to the Grammys, and it doesn’t really matter to me if my favorite artists get nominated. Sure, if they got nominated I would be happy, but it doesn’t matter to me as much as their actual music does. Many people get super excited over the Grammys, but I don’t. I personally care about my opinion on music more than anyone else’s, so I don’t really think award shows matter that much.
Don’t get me wrong, I love watching award shows. The music, the outfits, all of the energy amazes me, but the 2020 Grammys just did not excite me this year. This morning, I was looking at all of the outfits because I wasn’t able to see them on Sunday. To be honest, some were beautiful like Ariana Grande’s dress. Others weren’t so good. For the music aspect, I could care less. I don’t really enjoy listening to pop and none of my favorite artists are popular or mainstream enough to get nominated. My music taste is generally Conan Gray, Clairo, Jack Stauber, and mxmtoon. I used to really like pop and listen to people like Billie Eilish and Taylor Swift. Another reason I don’t pay attention to the Grammys is discrimination against certain races. Even some of the winning artists notice the different ways people are being treated at these types of award shows.
2
I don’t think people actually watch the Grammy's if I’m being honest. People only use it to push their own agenda, and if it doesn’t fit their taste in music, they will say the other parties are undeserving of the award. For example, Billie Eilish won four of the major Grammy awards (Album of the Year, Record of the Year, Song of the Year, and Best New Artist) and Best Pop Vocal Album, many would argue that Ariana Grande deserved Album of the Year. Even Billie was embarrassed about the amount of awards she took home. Ariana Grande fans are upset that she was “robbed” of her award, and fans of Billie Eilish will only use her achievement as a way to further promote her success. “Billie Eilish won five Grammy awards this year alone, can you believe it? Your idol can not compete. Go stream Billie’s music.” It all depends on who you ask, whether they believe the Grammy’s are an accurate representation of today’s music field or not. Of course people who listen to the music that won several awards will be happy, and others not brainwashed will be able to see right through it. I would also like to point out that Billie most likely does not consider herself a “pop artist”, so Best Pop Vocal Album does not make much sense knowing her character.
4
@Kaddy Ren I love Billie Eilish's music, but it is strange how many awards she won. She is extremely creative and her music is definitely innovative. However, I don't think one person should ever take home all four major categories. It's debatable whether she deserved all of them, but it seems unfair that one person should be able to take all of them at once.
My favorite artists include Rufus Wainwright, MARINA, Injury Reserve, and Hozier. None of them have come close to winning Grammys but that has absolutely no bearing over my appreciation for them. In fact, I appreciate them more because of it. Yes, I believe many artists that win at award shows don't deserve it but, that's a problem with the music industry, not the shows themselves. There are so many people who don't get the recognition they deserve, people who are just as talented as those who do. Titles like the best new artist don't make sense to me because it really means the most popular new artist. And the most popular will seldom be the best. Yes, Billie Eilish is a great singer but, I don't personally think she should have won all the most important awards. Why didn't the academy leave room for other nominees?
1
I don’t really have any favorite artists or singers, but I do love Beyonce, Lizzo, and a couple of other big artists. Beyonce has won between 21 to 23 Grammys (I’m not sure) and that is not including her 66 Grammy nominations. To me, the amount of Grammys that an artist has doesn’t matter, I just care that their music is good. I don’t think that most fans care either. As long as you really like how someone is as an artist and as a musician, it doesn’t matter whether they have won 100 Grammys or 0.
1
Answer to Question #1:
In one way or another, I feel that the Recording Academy “has failed to keep up with the ways pop is evolving” in that, in honors some newer artists without recognizing veterans with substantial influence as well as lack of representation and diversity in some categories. For example, though I am a tad partisan, why is the success of Nicki Minaj’s decade long and record breaking career not included with a Grammy award, yet with one, albeit successful, album, Cardi B can be the first female to come away with the award for “Best Rap Album?” Furthermore, as seen this year, so too in the past, there are a couple individuals who sweep the categories, like Billie Eilish. We have seen this example of four or more award per show with Sam Smith, Adele, Kacey Musgraves, etc. Years ago, we did see representation with Michael Jackson and Beyoncé, taking home a bounty of awards, but presently, these artists are usually and most often white. One might say this is coincidental, but it does not align as chance when it has been happening many times during the 2010’s.
Today, I believe that the Grammys are beginning to represent more of a popularity ceremony to honor the chart-topping songs of the past year. Though these songs do deserve their fame and recognition, some nominees were more alternative and not as high up on iTunes or Billboard, but had superior craftsmanship, message, and artistry. I think that the Grammys ought to be a mix of the two.
1