While the 68th Annual Grammy Awards featured many historical wins and newcomers, a main theme of the night was solidarity among people in trying times, with political unrest and calls for reform addressed on the stage and televisions across the nation.
The awards, aired on CBS and Paramount +, brought about many historical wins, with new records set and barriers broken. Stephen Spielberg achieved EGOT status after winning a Grammy for ‘Music by John Williams.’
Kendrick Lamar had an impressive night, taking home five Grammys, making him the most awarded rapper in Grammy history. His awards included Record of the Year for his track ‘Luther’ with SZA and Best Rap Album for ‘GNX.’ While accepting the latter, he expressed his gratitude and emphasized that hip hop is here to stay.
History continued to be forged when Bad Bunny became the first Latin artist to win Album of the Year, after winning the award for Best Musicá Urbana Album earlier in the night. As he tearfully accepted his awards, he used the opportunity and platform to address the country’s current state. He expressed his beliefs about how the United States needs to abolish ICE, how all people are human, and that no one should be called a savage, imploring the country to fight hate with love.
Gail Mnzava ‘29 was passionately supportive of the artist and his remarks.
“I thought that Bad Bunny’s wins were very much well deserved. I am really proud of everyone who wore the ‘ICE OUT’ pins, and I really liked his speech,” Mnzava said.
Billie Eilish reflected this sentiment in her speech as she accepted the Song of the Year award for her song ‘WILDFLOWER’ with her brother and songwriting partner, Finneas.
She lamented her inability to articulate what she is feeling in the state of the world currently, calling for everyone to use their voice against ICE’s intimidation as she condemned the current administration.
This award season also showcased many industry newcomers. Lola Young earned her first Grammy for Best Pop Solo Performance for her breakout song ‘Messy.’ The night also featured performances from all nominees for Best New Artist.
Zach Devanney ‘26 was notably impressed by the quality of the performances from the nominees.
“It was extremely exciting to see different artists performing this year. Addison Rae’s performance was incredible, and it was great to see a fresh face perform at such a big event,” Devanney said.
Olivia Dean won the coveted award of Best New Artist. Dean’s acceptance speech was full of emotion as she shared how her victory is a product of her family’s bravery, and how she learned resilience as the granddaughter of an immigrant.
Audrey Cassella ‘26, a devoted fan of this year’s winner, reacted to Dean’s win.
“Olivia Dean is one of my favorite artists and it was awesome to see her recognized. I thought her speech was really powerful and important; it made me like her even more,” Cassella said.
This was an extremely important night in music, not only for the sake of recognizing the success of a diverse set of artists, but also for artist advocacy and activism.
Trevor Sangiorgio ‘26 echoed this sentiment.
“I enjoyed The Grammy Award show last night. It was a fantastic opportunity for the performers and celebrities to voice their opinions about the current political state of our world,” Sangiorgio said.
Award season is always a charged time in the media, and it is far from over. Stay tuned for the iHeartRadio Music Awards on March 26.
