A Pretty Generic Grammys

Legendary Foo Fighters drummer Taylor Hawkins passed away just nine days before the 2022 Grammys. Source: Shuttershock

The Grammys went off without a hitch on April 3. After being delayed due to the spike in COVID-19 cases this past winter, the Recording Academy presented the awards from MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas. Comedian Trevor Noah returned for the second year in a row to host the live telecast.

“We’ll be keeping people’s names out of our mouth,” Noah joked, a nod to the Oscars slapping scandal the week prior.

In a move that faced much scrutiny, only nine of the 86 awards were presented during the live telecast. The other 77 awards were handed out in the Grammys pre-telecast earlier that afternoon, including the Rock and Hip-Hop categories.

The big winner of the night was Jon Baptiste, who walked away with five Grammys, including Album of the Year for his R&B album “We Are”. He is the first black artist to receive the honor since 2008.

“You know I really, I believe this to my core, there is no best musician, best artist, best dancer, best actor, the creative arts are subjective and they reach people at a point in their lives when they need it most,” said Baptiste.

Record of the Year and Song of the Year went to the Bruno Mars and Anderson .Paak duo Silk Sonic. The duo won all four of their Grammy nominations for their hit single “Leave the Door Open”.

"We’re trying our hardest to remain humble at this point but in the industry, that's called a clean sweep!" said .Paak after the pair sauntered onto the stage to accept their last award.

Grammys novice Olivia Rodrigo performed her hit “drivers license”, which won Best Pop Solo Performance at the Grammys pre show. Rodrigo was anticipated to sweep the four major categories like Billie Eilish in 2019, but only walked away with three of her seven nominations for her debut album “Sour”.

“This is my biggest dream come true,” said Rodrigo in her acceptance speech for Best New Artist. The Best New Artist title is suspected to be cursed, as several of its recipients failed to live up to their success at the time they won the award. However, it is contended the curse is only superstition, considering music titans such as Adele and Megan the Stallion have had chart-topping music since being named Best New Artist of their respective years. Many will be watching how Rodrigo’s career fares after her remarkable debut.

Tony Bennett, 95, made history in his retirement for being the oldest Grammy nominee in a general category and the second oldest Grammy nominee. He won his 19th Grammy for “Love for Sale”, his final album and second collaborative project with Lady Gaga. Bennett, who was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s in 2016, did not attend the ceremony in person, but welcomed his musical partner Lady Gaga to the stage for her performance through video.

The Foo Fighters, who were also not in attendance, won all three nominations for their 10th studio album, “Medicine at Midnight”, including Best Rock Album. The Seattle rock band has canceled all tour dates and public appearances in light of the tragic death of their beloved drummer and rock legend, Taylor Hawkins, at age 50.

“He’s the best drummer in the world, we love him so much,” said lead singer Dave Grohl in a montage dedicated to Hawkins.

During the “In Memoriam” segment of the ceremony, Noah called for a moment of silence for the late Foo Fighters drummer, before recognizing other names in the music industry who have passed away in the last year. Those remembered included rapper DMX, Meatloaf and Betty Davis. Cynthia Erivo, Leslie Odom Jr., Rachel Zegler and Ben Platt performed a Stephen Sondheim medley during the segment in honor of the renowned Broadway composer who passed away last November.

There was social media backlash towards the oversight of several late artists such as Drakeo the Ruler, Slipknot’s drummer Joey Jordison and Bollywood star Lata Mangeshkar. Additionally, some wondered why the victims of Travis Scott’s Astroworld Festival crowd crush were not memorialized as well.

“Anybody who feels left out or feels almost snubbed by an in memoriam, I think from the bottom of our hearts, there can only be apologies because we go into this show only wanting to bring joy and love to people with music,” said Grammys executive producer Ben Winston.

Another controversy of the night was Best Comedy Album going to disgraced comedian Louis C.K., who admitted to several sexual misconduct allegations in 2017.

Doja Cat and SZA won Best Pop Duo/Group Performance for “Kiss Me More”, making this Doja Cat’s first Grammy win after eleven nominations. Doja Cat almost missed her win, having to run on stage to accept the award after taking a bathroom break during Justin Bieber’s performance.

Huge artists this year such as Lil Nas X, Billie Eilish and BTS put on the most memorable performances of the night, but walked away without winning any of their nominations. The Grammys are infamous for snubbing crowd-favorite artists for both awards and nominations. Viewers often point out how the Recording Academy awards the safe choices, instead of the musical mavericks like Lil Nas X.

"To all the nominees, I know you're a little bit sad right now but please remember...at the end of the day, you have something that not everybody has. Money,” said Noah.