Last Sunday marked the 63rd annual Grammy Awards. The award show was able to feature not only a red carpet with many stars featured that night, but live performances and award acceptances all with social distancing being incorporated. 

The show was kicked off by first time Grammy’s opener Harry Styles with his pop hit “Watermelon Sugar.” He was clad in a leather trench coat and trousers. He would go on to win his first Grammy ever for the song as Best Pop Solo performance later that night.

His performance was followed up by a performance by young star Billie Eilish and her brother Finneas. Billie Eilish notably won five Grammys last year. With two new wins this year, her total is now seven awards.

Other notable performances were BTS,  Meg thee Stallion, Taylor Swift, Doja Cat, Dua Lipa, and many more.

Even with Covid restrictions these artists were able to put on a show wearing masks as needed, with some performances done on isolated sets. 

Some more notable wins included Meg thee Stallion winning three Grammys, most notably for New Artist. She broke into the scene with songs like “WAP” in collaboration with Cardi B.

H.E.R also won a Grammy for her 2020 single “I Can’t Breathe”. The song highlights the importance of Black Lives Matter and serves as a call for justice, especially after tragic events like that of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor.

Over the last few years, the Academy has been called out by many artists for favoritism and racial bias within the industry, but that was  prior to this night. 

Artists such as The Weeknd and Zayn Malik spoke out. The Weeknd stated on Twitter that the Grammys remain corrupt and that they owe transparency in their practices in 2020. 

Malik tweeted this year, “Unless you shake hands and send gifts, there’s no nomination considerations. Next year I’ll send you a basket of confectionery.”

Many fans felt this same disappointment when feeling as though BTS had been snubbed this year with no Grammy win and their performance being saved until the very end of the night, leaving fans feeling used for the sake of viewership. 

The award given to H.E.R and other artists, however, shows a step in the right direction that is well deserved for her work and using her voice on such important issues.

It is clear that the Grammys still have much more progress to make in the coming years and will have to work in order to do so.