Music’s biggest night, the Grammys, had a mournful cloud hovering over as news of the death of NBA legend Kobe Byrant and his 14-year-old daughter’s death broke. The Grammys were taking place on Sunday night at Staples Center, the home of LA Lakers: Kobe’s team. Tributes were paid and he was remembered via performances but the Grammys were just as much about present music and intense battles behind the scenes. It was not, as always, about what fans around the globe considered phenomenal music but what The Recording Academy thought was good enough music to be recognized and rewarded on this very special night. Billie and Lizzo’s wins were, however, a step in the right direction.
Though Lizzo surprised everyone by picking up the most number of nominations (11), it was Billie Eilish who took home the most number of prizes including three of the top four awards: Record of the Year for ‘Bad Guy’, Album of the Year for When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go? and Song of the Year for ‘Bad Guy’ winning in this category over music royalties such as Taylor Swift, Lady Gaga and Lana Del Ray (among others). But those were not the only Eilish victories. She also won Best New Artist (ahead of Lizzo) and Best pop vocal album for When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go? beating Beyonce Knowles to pick up the trophy, making it a total of five prizes.
Eilish’s producing partner and brother Finneas O’Connell, won Best Producer – Non Classical as well as Best Engineered Album (Non-Classical).
Lizzo didn’t win the majors but she did win several Grammys including Best urban contemporary album for Cuz I Love You (Deluxe), Best traditional R&B album for Jerome and Pop solo performance of the year for ‘Truth Hurts’.
The Grammys did snub the late Dolores O’Riordan in the rock category with the band’s last album, In the End (feat. the late Dolores O’Riordan) not awarded with the trophy; it went to Cage the Elephant for Social Cues.
Among performers were acts such as Alicia Keys, Lizzo, Rosalia, Billy Ray Cyrus and Lil Nas X but not Taylor Swift.
Even as Kobe Bryant was remembered onstage by performers like Lizzo and Alicia Keys in particular, ugly battles were taking place backstage. Just days before the Grammys, Academy President/CEO Deborah Dugan was asked to step down. As a response, Dugan had filed “a discrimination complaint with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission that includes allegations of sexual misconduct and vote rigging,” noted NPR.
Her lawyers have asked for Dugan to be reinstated and that Interim CEO and Chairperson Harvey Mason to be sent off into the sunset if serious reforms are going to be made to the Recording Academy.
But, in the end, it was a night dominated by Billie Eilish, Lizzo, the late Kobe Bryant and Alicia Keys, who was on point when she said at the annual gala later, “It’s a new decade. It’s time for newness. And we refuse the negative energy. We refuse the old systems.”