Over the past few years, the Grammy Awards presented by the Recording Academy have slowly been losing their worth, where music is now defined by popularity rather than pure quality or talent. It is one of the most-watched award shows worldwide, where everyone knows who brought home trophies the following day, but why? No one knows who won Song of the Year at the MTV music awards, or the VMAs, or even the American Music Awards, yet the Monday after the ceremony, everyone is talking about the Grammys. It is loved by so many and has a sterling reputation to hold, yet as time passes, the media is sharing their fury and anger towards the subjectively “biased” voting.
The 2026 ceremony had stepped up its game with its sensational list of presenters, including our favourite Midwest princess, Chappell Roan, the 2024 brat summer icon, Charli xcx, and 2026’s biggest comeback, the one and only Harry Styles. The performers list had also tremendously improved with sets by Addison Rae, Bruno Mars, Justin Bieber, KATSEYE, Lady Gaga, Olivia Dean, Slash, The Marias, and even Tyler The Creator. This performer’s headline had been causing extreme excitement and had been talked about across most global newspapers, including Sud Ouest in France, Vogue Mexico, and even Sweden’s SVT
The nominations this year, however, got mixed reviews, reinforcing the idea that these awards aren’t about the music anymore but the superficial image created by the artist and all those hidden behind the labels and the ‘business’.
The first category, Record Of The Year, had obvious and deserving nominations in terms of vocals, production, and lyricism, and close seconds in terms of quality, but also an extremely popular record despite its poor lyricism and bland melodies. FINNEAS and Billie Eilish’s Wildflower undeniably deserved tonight’s win against Carpenter’s Manchild, Doechii’s Anxiety, Gaga’s Abracadabra, or even Chappell Roan’s incredible hit, Subway. Eilish fans still feel bittersweet, or BITTERSUITE, regarding last year’s Grammys, where the talented sibling duo sorrowfully left empty-handed after losing the award with the most groundbreaking and beautiful written album, Hit Me Hard and Soft, against Beyonce’s Cowboy Carter. This caused a serious feud amongst fans who now wish for only one thing: to give them their highly merited golden gramophone. However, an unexpected winner brought the trophy home that night, Luther by the R&B x Hip Hop duo Kendrick Lamar and SZA. What do you think about this?
The Manchild x Wildflower battle continued in category three, Song Of The Year, except this time a new contestant joined the fight- the overplayed, yet catchy Golden from K-Pop Demon Hunters. Who would’ve thought that this ironic tune would actually end up in the most prestigious and watched annual music award show? Awarded by Carole King, Billie Eilish’s name was finally called, signifying that she had won her Grammy. When on stage, she took the opportunity to use her voice as an influential and greatly appreciated figure, to speak up about an issue that is pulling apart an entire nation; she claimed, “I don’t feel like I need to say anything but that no one is illegal on stolen land.” She and her brother are continuously speaking up about this issue, whether on social media, protests, concerts, etc, and inspiringly ended their speech with “Our voices really do matter, and people matter”.
Harry Styles made his first appearance on stage when the time came to present the award for Album of the Year. He entered the room as the line “Your husband is coming” played in the entire arena. A famous line from Raye’s WHERE IS MY HUSBAND! When the crowd calmed down, the popstar stated the importance and impact a good album can have on one’s life; “a truly great album can change the way you see everything, an artist can take you on a journey as you discover the world together. The best albums stay with you, and you can always return to them just like old friends.” Following this, he opened the golden envelope and announced that the Puerto Rican singer Bad Bunny’s album “DeBÍ TiRAR MáS FOToS” had won the award. Similarly to Eilish, he spoke up about the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement and its actions over the past few weeks, delivering his speech in Spanish as a way of showing solidarity to Latino residents of the U.S.. He expressed, “We need to be different. If we fight, we have to do it with love. We don’t hate them, we love our people, we love our family, that’s the way to do it — with love. Don’t forget that, please.” In a world filled with so much horror, celebrities feel the need to use their position of power to bring up political issues that are often disregarded but are destroying families and nations as a whole.
The new breakout artist, Olivia Dean, was awarded her first Grammy by one of the most politically active singer/songwriters out there, Chappell Roan. Dean openly stated, “I’m up here as the granddaughter of an immigrant … I’m a product of bravery, and I think those people [immigrants] deserve to be celebrated. We’re nothing without each other”. With her hit songs “Man I Need” and “So Easy”, her rise to fame has allowed her to share her first-hand experience as an artist in an industry full of terror and make change not only politically, but also in the accessibility of art. Live music today has become a symbol of wealth, where ticket prices have tripled over the past few decades. This privilege is often disregarded and forgotten, but art is meant to be experienced by all and is a cause that the British singer aims to fight for.
Grammys would not be the same without Noah’s controversial jokes. This year, he joked about Nicki Minaj and Trump, imitating the American president’s voice accurately, filling the room with lots of laughter and shifting their attention from the current horrific times in the world. This mic drop was an excellent way to mark the end of his greatly loved Grammy hostings, over the span of the past five years.
The 68th Award ceremony was extremely successful and was a way to not only celebrate the achievements of talented artists but also bring talented individuals together to make change. Though not everyone was able to bring the win home, many still got recognition for their incredible artistic abilities. With many upcoming releases this year, the 2027 Grammys are for sure going to be even better, but definitely not the same, as an important member of this show, Trevor Noah, will be gone. So, who do you think will win next year’s Album and Song of the Year? Comment below.
