by Riley Blankenship

Every year in February, people flock to their TVs to watch the biggest night for music awards, the Grammys. One notable characteristic of the Grammys is that every year, there always seems to be some form of drama or throwing shade that an artist will make towards another artist. This year did not fail to continue that tradition of drama.  

A huge part of the drama took place during Taylor Swift’s big night on stage when her album, “Midnights,” won album of the year, making this her fourth album of the year win according to People’s News. Fellow musical artist Celine Dion was the one who awarded Taylor Swift with the Grammy, which is what led to the drama. People believed that Swift did not acknowledge Celine Dion properly while receiving the award, however, this was later proven false as the two took a photo backstage which showed them embracing.  

Another huge part of the drama of the night took place during a speech rapper Jay-Z gave during the acceptance of his Dr. Dre Global Impact award. His wife, Beyonce, was nominated for album of the year, but did not win, which makes this the fourth time she has both been nominated, and lost, in that particular category. Jay-Z expressed his opinion that the academy is subjective in how they pick which nominee will take home the Grammy for album of the year. Beyonce has never won an album of the year award, though she has come very close, with nominations in 2010, 2015, 2017 and 2023. All of this was met with different reactions from fans and viewers, with some viewers believing Jay-Z was right and that his speech was to encourage the music academy to nominate more women of color.  

My overall opinion of the Grammys is that it was very good despite the controversy and drama that took place. I believe it brings people together in watching the Grammys and helps to inspire new and young artists wanting to pursue a music career. Another benefit to watching the Grammys is getting to see your favorite artists’ achievements and their recap over the year. I look forward to the next Grammys which will take place in 2025, though a date has not been determined yet.