Grammys night tends to be full of surprise wins, fun performances and interesting speeches, and the 2024 Grammys was no different. Dua Lipa (“Future Nostalgia”) started the night with amazing performances of her new song “Training Season” and her hit single “Houdini.” Her outfit and choreo were both stunning, which made it such a phenomenal opening act to start the Grammys. 

Mariah Carey (“Caution”) presented Miley Cyrus (“Endless Summer Vacation”) and her song “Flowers” with the award for Best Pop Solo Performance, Cyrus’ first Grammy. Cyrus also performed “Flowers” in a beautiful outfit with her fun hairstyle that was big and very ‘80s-inspired. The hair mimicked the style of Tina Turner (“Proud Mary”), who passed away last year.

 The main categories were filled with mostly women, which made for an exciting moment in music history. It was a tough competition with many hits and fun albums that came out from artists such as SZA (“SOS”), Lana Del Rey (“Did You Know There’s a Tunnel Under Ocean Blvd”) and Taylor Swift (“Midnights”). Boygenius (“the record”) deservedly won for Best Alternative Music Album. SZA won three awards, including Best R&B Song for “Snooze.” 

The night was full of performances, some OK and others great. Olivia Rodrigo’s (“GUTS”) performance of “vampire” was not her strongest. Her voice had a weird tone and she seemed a little nervous, but she did hit some of the notes. Her red dress and blood-dripping background throughout the song were a nice touch. U2 (“Atomic City”) oddly performed at Sphere in Las Vegas,  featuring weird camera cuts and angles. 

Of course the evening was filled with Swift. She won Best Pop Vocal Album for “Midnights.” During her first acceptance speech, she announced her upcoming 11th studio album “Tortured Poets Department.” Although Swift is a multi-talented artist, “Midnights” is on the weaker side of her work and there were many other talented artists that released work that should have won the Grammy instead. 

Celine Dion (“Courage”) presented Album of the Year, which also went to “Midnights.” Again, Swift is one of the greatest artists of our generation given her success and talent, but there were so many great albums this year, specifically from Del Rey and SZA. Del Rey’s album was stronger and more cohesive. Del Rey not winning any Grammys is definitely such a shame and snub. 

“What Was I Made For?” by Billie Eilish won Song of the Year, deservedly given the impact this song had in 2023. “Flowers” won again for Record of the Year, while some could argue other songs had a stronger year. 

Victoria Monét (“On My Mama”) has been in the industry for years, yet 2023 seemed to be her year. In her acceptance speech for Best New Artist, Monét used a metaphor that she was finally “sprouting” this year and compared the industry to dirt.

“It can be looked at as dirty or it can be looked at as a source of nutrients and water,” she said. 

Billy Joel (“Piano Man”) made his return with his new song “Turn the Lights Back On,” performing it before the announcement of Album of the Year. Billy Joel is one of the greatest songwriters, so hearing a new song from him was amazing. 

Overall, the 2024 Grammys was pretty boring and felt as if it dragged. Many artists did not receive the awards they deserved. This is a typical Grammys experience. Some performances though were great and Monét’s wins were very well-deserved. Thank you Dua Lipa for starting the night with such a fun performance. 

Image from Pexels by Andrea Piacquadio